This year’s Hyndburn Community Sports Awards is set to be the biggest and best yet, after local company Express Gifts/Studio signed up as the headline sponsor for the event, which is to be held this October at the Ballroom at Accrington Town Hall.

Lyndsey Sims, Chief Executive of Hyndburn Leisure, said: “The Sports Awards is a fantastic local event recognising the achievements of local clubs, athletes and volunteers. However, over recent years, the Hyndburn event has been run on a much smaller scale than we would have liked, which is why we are absolutely delighted that Express Gifts/Studio, a local employer only 50 yards away from our main Leisure Centre has signed up as the Headline Sponsor for this year’s event. This sponsorship will allow us to run a fantastic awards evening including a 2-course dinner which will be provided by Accrington and Rossendale College, and to book a special guest speaker, which we can now confirm will be Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards!”

Express Gifts/Studio are an international, multi-channel, retail company who have been established for over 50 years.

Paul Kendrick, Managing Director at Express Gifts/Studio, said:

“We are delighted to be the headline sponsor for Hyndburn Community Sports Awards 2018. It’s a celebration of everything the community has to offer and is set to be a fantastic evening. Our base is here in Accrington and we are always aiming to support the local and wider community. It’s great to know that our sponsorship has enabled the event to expand. The Town Hall is an exceptional venue, I’m sure it will be a sell-out event!”

Lyndsey Sims added:

“There’s still individual award sponsorship opportunities available, and I’d urge local businesses who want to be part of something special to get in touch with us about sponsoring. Some great local businesses have already signed up as sponsors including Forbes Solicitors, Master Ground Services, Accrington and Rossendale College, Technogym, Fell & Mountain, Victoria Glass, Scott Dawson Advertising, Accrington Observer and of course our headline sponsor, Express Gifts/Studio.”

Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards

Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, will be the guest speaker at the event; he is famous for personifying the Olympic spirit and for his determination to represent his country. Eddie was the sole British applicant for the 1988 Winter Olympics and, at the time, was the British ski jumping record holder.

Lyndsey Sims added:

“Eddie is the ideal guest speaker for this event, we are honoured to have him attend. His journey to become an Olympian is inspirational, with no financial support, no training, no equipment… he is an example of the sky being the limit!”

Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards commented:

“I’m looking forward to my visit to Accrington for the Hyndburn Community Sports Awards and sharing my stories and experiences with a fantastic crowd. Tickets will be on sale soon.”

Nominations are still open for the awards, with categories including Club of the Year, Community Project of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Young Achiever, Lifetime Achievement and many more. The nomination process closes on 24th August, and nominations can be made at www.lancashiresportsawards/nominate