Yesterday marked the return of Derby County Community Trust’s Annual Awards, an evening dedicated to recognising participants, volunteers and staff members who exemplify the Trust’s values through their ongoing commitment and dedication. Held in the Toyota Suite at Pride Park Stadium, the event welcomed more than 200 guests to celebrate of the work of the Trust. 

Each year, the Trust engages with over 30,000 people through more than 40 diverse programmes spanning sport, physical activity, health and education. These programmes are each designed to enrich live and strengthen local communities. 

This year’s awards recognised 8 exceptional winners: 

Volunteer Champion: Jermaine Judson

Jermaine has volunteered at the Trust for several years at Ability Counts sessions. He demonstrates genuine compassion and empathy for the young people he works with, creating memorable experiences and supporting them to develop new skills. Ability Counts wouldn’t be the same without Jermaine’s unwavering support.               

School of the Year: Landau Forte Moorhead Academy 

This school are an enhanced affiliated school who engage in a variety of DCCT programmes. They place high value on PE and sport and across the last year have attended multiple Trust events this year. As a result, their pupils have accessed new opportunities, increased their fitness levels and developed lifelong healthy habits. 

Special Recognition: Schools Events Calendar

The Schools Events Calendar has been the heartbeat of school sport across Derby City, offering every child regardless of age, ability, or confidence the chance to take part in sport and physical activity. This year alone a schedule of 189 events brought 17,900 young people from over 80 schools together to move, play, and develop. This was a huge, 23% increase in participants when compared with the 23/24 academic year. 

Inclusion Champion: Ali Setayesh and Amy Goulding

These individuals have worked tirelessly on the Trust’s Premier League Kicks, Inspires and mentoring programmes.  They consistently go above and beyond to overcome barriers to engagement and have worked to achieve great outcomes for the young people they work with.

Participant of the Year: Neil Groves    

Neil has been part of the Trust’s Active Recovery programme since 2021. For him, Active Recovery hasn’t just been about exercise, it’s helped him to regain confidence, energy and meet likeminded people. He is a proud participant and a great advocate for the programme and the Trust.   

Education Champion: Liam Carter

Liam is an exceptional individual whose dedication, resilience and achievement make him a truly deserving winner of the Education Champion award. He has excelled in his studies, achieving results that surpassed his predicted grades. Beyond the classroom, Liam has made significant contributions to sport and the community. 

Employee of the Year: Adam Rowley

Adam has shown exceptional dedication to his role and the Trust for over 12 years, working tirelessly to support over 1,500 substance misusing clients. He has developed the Active Choices programme into what it is today and received fantastic feedback from funding partners, peers and participants alike. He truly has saved lives through his work. 

Programme of the Year: Female Talent Pathway and Emerging Talent Centre

The Female Talent Pathway and Emerging Talent Centre support hundreds of girls to play for Derby County. Not only is this creating future Ewes, it’s creating future lionesses. This year has seen 7 players make international appearances and 4 players make the jump into the Derby County Women First Team. 

Paul Newman, Head of Community at the Trust, said: “It’s the highlight of our year. It’s a chance to come together with our participants, staff, and partners to celebrate the incredible work happening across the Trust. We’re especially grateful to our sponsors, with Smith Partnership returning as headline sponsor for the fourth consecutive year.”

One thing that stands out time and time again is the sheer breadth of what the Community Trust deliver and the wide range of communities impacted by the work of the Trust. Whilst their footballing offer remains a strong and vital part of their identity, the work undertaken is much more; from green activities to cancer recovery and the Derby 10K to Community Meals. Derby County Community Trust is Not Just Football.