Sports Personality of the Month Winners Announced

Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh celebrates local sporting talent following the announcement of its Sports Personality of the Month for the current sporting season.

Sponsored by Decathlon, the awards recognise the achievements and dedication of sporting stars in the Lisburn & Castlereagh area. The winners are selected each month by the Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh Committee and a £100 voucher is awarded to each successful winner.

The first of two winners included 10 year old Thomas Thompson who has achieved an array of accomplishments in the Cadet category of Kart Racing. Thomas took first place in the Irish Grand Prix, second place in the Ulster Championships, fourth in the Irish Championships and was placed 18th out of 36 racers in the World Championships. The second talented winner is James Nicholson who took gold in the individual, pairs and team categories at the Korean Ambassadors Cup in Dublin which makes him the Treble Irish Champion at the tender age of 14. James also took silver at the British Nationals.

Sport Lisburn Castlereagh Committee Member, Eileen McKillop said, “Sport Lisburn Castlereagh takes great pride in acknowledging the sporting achievements of young people within the Lisburn and Castlereagh area. The awards enable us to recognise the continuous hard work, hours of endless training and dedication required in order for athletes to excel at the very highest. I would like to congratulate Thomas and James on their success which I hope will inspire others to get involved in sport.

“I extend a huge thank you to Decathlon for their continuous support and for kindly sponsoring the initiative.”

Alderman James Tinsley, Chairman of the Council’s Leisure & Community Development Committee said, “It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh’s Sports Personality of the Month Award Winners, Thomas and James, who both at such a young age have achieved so much already. I commend them both for their commitment and hard work in pursuit of excellence in their chosen sports.

“The Council continues to play their part in supporting this brilliant initiative that not only recognises the success of talented athletes within the council area but also provides a platform for participants to be the best that they can be.

“I would like to thank Decathlon for sponsoring the Sports Personality of the Month Award and helping to acknowledge the achievements of so many sports people from Lisburn & Castlereagh.”

Matt Ferguson, Marketing and Event Manager, Decathlon Belfast, "We are proud to support such a great initiative and congratulate all current winners.  Our Decathlon motto is to make sport accessible for the many, and this initiative helps us to achieve that.  We also believe that sporting success should be celebrated, and what better way to do this than to offer an £100 gift voucher to the world's largest sports retailer.  We encourage other Clubs to enter and want to thank Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council for their great work."

Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh is a local sports committee comprised of representatives from local sports clubs within the council area and is financially assisted by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. For further details on Sports Personality of the Month, please email Kevin Madden at kevin.madden@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk.