Athletics Legend set for sportKeighley Olympic Dinner
18th June 2009
Former middle-distance World Record Holder, Olympic Silver Medallist and BBC TV Presenter Steve Cram MBE heads a star-studded cast at this year’s third sportKeighley Olympic Fund Dinner, to be held on Saturday 27th June at the Victoria Hall in Keighley.
Steve will be accompanied by his partner Allison Curbishley who also competed at two Olympic Games and was a medallist at 400m at Commonwealth and European level.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe MP, who will also be at the event, has also, via the kind help of SportsAid, enabled the presence of top Diving Coach Adrian Hinchliffe, who began his career in the Bradford district, and Olympic Diver Tandi Gerrard to make it a star-packed Olympic line-up.
Once again, an action-packed evening is in prospect, highlighting the very best of the talent that Keighley and district has to offer in terms of developing World Class, Olympic, Paralympic and Special Olympic sporting ambitions. The evening includes a table tennis exhibition item featuring home-grown international teenager Mary Fuller, who has worked her way up the ranks of the sport whilst a pupil at Oakbank Sports College to become a member of the national squad. Table Tennis will also be a theme for other parts of the evening, thanks to help from Haworth Hawks Table Tennis Club.
A special theme this year is on coaches, and it is hoped that modest awards from the sportKeighley Olympic fund can be made this year to nominated coaches who are currently helping to develop our local talent.
Steve Cram’s presence has been made possible via the fantastic support of local company Link Telecom. Link Telecom owner and Keighley Cougars Director Gary Fawcett said “We’re delighted to be able to work with the sportKeighley network to ensure that we keep Keighley well up on the sporting map and add to the growing confidence of the town in every respect.”
Such confidence is also reflected by the support for the event this year by the new Leeds City College Keighley Campus (formerly Park Lane College, Keighley). With the new College building on Dalton Lane soon to be completed, there is also a new air of confidence in education circles that opportunities are arising in the town like never before and this will extend to sport with new ideas for academies and courses already emerging.
The food for this year’s dinner is to be provided by Keighley’s well-known Shimla Spice restaurant and a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere is guaranteed for all those involved in sport in the Keighley area and beyond to catch up with each other and hear what’s going on. Service is to be provided by local volunteers from the College and the Schools, thus ensuring a real reflection of the best that Keighley has to offer.
The event is also to be run in conjunction with the Cougar Pride Centre in Keighley, the official launch of which is to be conducted by Gerry Sutcliffe the following day (Sunday 28th June) immediately prior to the Cougars’ home match against Rochdale Hornets.
Everyone from the district who has an involvement and passion for sport is welcome. Tickets for the dinner are £30 per head (slight discount for tables of 12) and there are only a few places left. Bookings can be made via email to sportjohn@blueyonder.co.uk or by ringing John Dennis on 07919 477861. Nominations for recognition of coaches who have helped local Olympic hopefuls should also be sent to John as soon as possible.