Kookateki Judo Club’s Wendy Cooke has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to judo and for increasing junior athlete participation across North Belfast by being awarded a Belfast Media Volunteer Award.

The awards ceremony took place in Belfast’s City Hall on Tuesday 25 June 2012 and was attended by some of the City’s most dedicated sports volunteers. 

The awards were presented by Tierna Cunningham, Belfast ’s Deputy Lord Mayor who said: “Belfast Media is formally recognising the achievements, hard work and dedication of volunteers within sport. Volunteers are extremely important to the development of all sports, and without them sport’s clubs would not be sustainable.”

The Belfast Media Group awards scheme is a mark of recognition for those individuals who give up their time voluntarily in support of their club, school, team or family member.  Sport depends on volunteers for success, from coaches to managers to those who open the club on Saturday morning or who clean the kits. The awards recognise those who help support their sport and insure young people enjoy their games and fulfill their ambition.

Conor McLoughlin Sports Editor, Belfast Media Group said: “Over the next few years, we all hope to see a great resurgence of sport in Belfast as major investment is ploughed into our sporting venues with a view to triggering regeneration of our communities. That will be a welcome development but let’s not forget that the sports volunteers are the real sporting infrastructure of this great city. This year we have a wealth of talent to celebrate, so we say well done to them and to all our Sports Volunteers, who tirelessly give their time for the sport they love.”