Veronica Hunter of Sligo Surf Lifesaving Club has been announced as the winner of the 2021 Volunteers in Sport Awards for county Sligo.
Veronica has performed multiple committee roles over the years, often double and treble jobbing. She has worked tirelessly as a club coach while also carrying out the bulk of the administrative work for the club. Veronica has acted as a Level 1 Surf Lifesaving Coach which involves spending many hours on the beach and at the pool teaching children and teenagers the essential lifesaving skills particular to the sport of surf lifesaving. Veronica has also acted in the roles of Club Secretary, Registrations Officer, Public Relations Officer and Competitions Officer, all being vital roles without which the club could not function.
The annual Volunteers in Sport Awards celebrate the contributions of the band of volunteers across the country who give their time to Irish sport and physical activity every year. The awards will take place virtually on December 7th, 8th and 9th and will see volunteers from all 32 counties honoured for their amazing dedication to volunteering across a variety of different sports.
Throughout September and October members of the public, sports clubs and governing bodies were invited to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport and physical activity in Ireland has made a real difference to their community, club or county. The nominations and award recipients were selected by a judging panel consisting of 12 individuals drawn from sports administration, the volunteer community and media, and included former Director General of the GAA, Paraic Duffy, RTÉ broadcaster, Marie Crowe and CEO of Gaisce, Yvonne McKenna.
Sligo Surf Lifesaving club are delighted for Veronica that her many hours of dedication to the surf lifesaving club have been recognised nationally. The awards will be streamed live each evening from 7pm on the Federation of Irish Sport’s Facebook page.
The awards schedule is Tuesday, December 7th: Leinster and Special Recognition Award, Wednesday, December 8th: Munster, Connacht and Special Recognition Award and Thursday, December 9th: Ulster and Outstanding Achievement Award. Veronica will receive her Volunteers in Sport Award during Wednesday’s award ceremony.