Awards at city sports event for Barry and Hannah

Two Derby Athletic Club members had their contribution recognised when they stopped awards at the Derby City Sport Forum event.

The awards night, at Derby Council House on Thursday (10 October) saw club chairman Barry Parker receive a Lifetime Service award while U20 javelin thrower Hannah Barnden was awarded Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

Hannah has this year made the tough decision to switch from multi-evening and competing in the heptathlon, where she had achieved considerable success, to the specialising in her best event, the javelin. By achieving the 45m standard for the 500gm javelin, she earned selection for the Under 18 Nations Youth Cup in Dublin, competing in an England vest, and took gold in the event. She has backed up this success with a successful summer competing for the club in YDL and was also one of the club’s seven competitors at English Schools.

Barry has been committe to athletics since being an athlete of national standard in his younger days, winning the ESAA Junior Boys 880yds title, competing for Cambridgeshire and later Derbyshire. He has also coached, taught PE for 30 years and turned to officiating in 1987. He moved up through the ranks as an Official and eventually was selected for National and International meetings. He has officiated in all the major Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships held in England since 2002 including the 2012 Olympics, Paralympics and 2017 World and World Para Athletics Champs in London.

He commented: “It is now my pleasure to encourage younger people to compete, coach and train to be Officials particularly those who are members of Derby AC.”

Well done to both Barry and Hannah!

There may be more good news, as club volunteers coach Paul Martin and official Ernie Cripps are both finalists in the Derby Telegraph Sports Awards. That ceremony is in early November – watch this space and fingers crossed for the result!