The remarkable achievements of Pembrokeshire’s sporting community were celebrated at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday evening, November 24^th.

The Sport Pembrokeshire Awards 2023 were held at Folly Farm and paid tribute to efforts both on and off the pitch by sports people, coaches and volunteers alike.

Record nominations had been received as the awards continue to go from strength to strength.

The judges had an extremely difficult task to whittle the numbers firstly down to finalists and then deserving winners.

The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was race walking star Heather Warner who has represented both Wales and Team GB at the highest levels.

A Pembrokeshire Harrier, Heather soon discovered a natural talent for race walking and it was no surprise that a collection of local and national titles followed.

Welsh and Team GB vests at both junior and senior level were the natural progression in her career.

Heather collected a fantastic seventh place in the Commonwealth Games in 2018 on Australia’s Gold Coast and a British record followed in Birmingham four years later to go with a brilliant sixth place.

While competing around the world Heather has always continued to coach at Pembrokeshire Harriers and passing on the breadth of her knowledge and experience and is a worthy winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023.

“Heather’s outstanding success, coupled with an obvious desire to one day guide others, can only help raise the profile of the sport in a positive way,” said Geoff Williams from BBC Wales, who presented Heather with her award.

The winner of the Chairman’s Special Achievement Award, presented by Cllr Thomas Tudor, was Makala Jones.

Makala has taught cold water confidence and a proper swimming technique to countless people of all ages in Pembrokeshire, enabling them to enjoy the coastline all year round. She also successfully swum the English channel solo in July this year.

She has been described as a legend, an inspiration, a real-life super hero, great fun to be around, a role model proving you can achieve your dreams and an incredibly strong and helpful human being.

In presenting her award, Cllr Tudor said what makes her so special is her passion for sharing the benefits of outdoor swimming for improved mental health.

This year the School Award was won by Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi.

The judges were impressed by the wide range of sports and activities provided by and hosted by Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi and how the school is a focal point for sports health and wellbeing in the St Davids community and surrounding areas.

Under Headteacher Rachel Thomas and Head of Wellbing Bruce Evans, young people are given the opportunity to try a wide variety of sports and activities to embed a love of staying active and protecting the natural environment from an early age.

It was also a significant evening with the announcement that host Bill Carne would be retiring after 17 years presenting the awards.

Matthew Freeman, manager of Sport Pembrokeshire, paid tribute to his dedication and professionalism over the years.

“Bill Carne has become synonymous with the Sport Pembrokeshire Awards and is rightly regarded as the voice of sport in Pembrokeshire,” he said.

“Sport Pembrokeshire are truly honoured to have had his support at the awards for all these years along with his wider support in advocating and raising the profile of the work that Sport Pembrokeshire team do across the county.

“Bill can now retreat from the stage and enjoy the evening from the audience’s vantage point and enjoy the spectacle that is the Sport Pembrokeshire awards.”

The other winners are as follows:

• Girls (U16) Sporting Achievement: Josie Hawke
• Boys (U16) Sporting Achievement: Ramon Rees-Siso
• Club of the Year: Pembroke Cricket Club
• Junior Disability Sport Award: Saskia Webb
• Disability Sport Award: Bleddyn Gibbs
• Young Volunteer of the Year: Elizabeth Clissold
• Junior (U16) Team Achievement of the Year: South Pembs Sharks U14
• Unsung Hero: Dave Astins
• Team Achievement of the Year: Haverfordwest County AFC
• Male Sporting Achievement: Mickey Beckett
• Female Sporting Achievement: Gracie Griffiths
• Club Organiser of the Year: Stefan Jenkins
• Coach of the Year: Samantha Feneck

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List of Finalists and Winners

Girls (U16) Sporting Achievement

• Josie Hawke – Winner
• Chloe John-Driscoll
• Nina Marsh

Boys (U16) Sporting Achievement

• Finley Bruce
• Reuben Lerwill
• Ramon Rees-Siso – Winner

Club of the Year

• Haverfordwest Tennis Club
• Pembroke Cricket Club – Winner
• Tavernspite Short Mat Bowls Club

Disability Sport Award

• Bleddyn Gibbs – Winner
• Michael Jenkins
• Jules King

Junior Disability Sport Award

• Lewis Crawford
• Saskia Webb – Winner
• Ioan Williams

Young Volunteer of the Year

• Elizabeth Clissold – Winner
• Ellie Phillips
• Lukas Tyrrell

Junior (U16) Team Achievement of the Year

• Pembrokeshire Schools Football U14’s
• South Pembs Sharks U14’s – Winner
• Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi Tennis Team

Unsung Hero

• Dave Astins – Winner
• Piers Beckett
• Sam Rossiter

Team Achievement of the Year

• Haverfordwest County AFC – Winner
• Haverfordwest Ladies Rugby
• Llangwm RFC Youth

Male Sporting Achievement

• Micky Beckett – Winner
• Jeremy Cross
• Moritz Neumann

Female Sporting Achievement

• Katie Dickinson
• Gracie Griffiths – Winner
• Seren Thorne

Club Organiser of the Year

• Rachel Grieve
• Stefan Jenkins – Winner
• Huw Jones

Coach of the Year

• Sam Feneck – Winner
• Daisy Griffiths
• Michael Newman

School Award

• Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi

Special Achievement Award

• Makala Jones

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Heather Warner