Dame Sarah Storey has been nominated for a global sports award following her record-breaking 17th Paralympic gold medal.
The Eccles-born cyclist became Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian this past summer at Tokyo 2020 when she took her career haul to 28 Paralympic medals, including 17 gold medals, and now has been shortlisted for the award for Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.
The 44-year-old retained her individual pursuit, time trial, and road race titles in Japan to surpass the long-time British record held by former swimmer Mike Kenny.
Having been nominated for the prestigious accolade by the International Paralympic Committee, Storey will be up against wheelchair tennis champions Diede De Groot and Shingo Kunieda, Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug, Spanish Para triathlete Susana Rodriguez, and Dutch Para triathlete and cyclist Jetze Platin at the award ceremony.
🙌 Our Nominees for the 2022 Laureus Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award:
Born without a functioning left hand after her arm became entangled in the umbilical cord in the womb, she began her Paralympic career in the pool at the 1992 Barcelona Games, and at just aged just 14, she won two gold medals, three silvers and a bronze.
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She continued in the pool for three subsequent Paralympics, winning 15 medals – including five golds – before switching to cycling in 2005.
She was made a Dame following her achievements at the London 2012 Paralympics.
She has been shortlisted for Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability / Credit: Twitter (@ParalympicsGB)
Some of the other British sportspeople nominated for accolades at the 2022 Laureus Awards – which is happening in April – is 19-year-old US Open Champion Emma Raducanu, who is nominated for the Breakthrough of the Year award, and Tom Daley, who is on the shortlist for the World Comeback of the Year award after having claimed Olympic gold in the men’s synchronised 10m platform diving event at Tokyo 2020.
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Team GB skateboarder Sky Brown is also up for the same award after suffering multiple skull fractures in a training fall in May 2020, but recovered to become Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist at just 13.
The winners will be announced in a virtual awards show in April.
Tributes paid as Curzon Ashton FC founder Harry Twamley dies following a ‘long illness’
Danny Jones
Tributes are pouring as local team Curzon Ashton FC have confirmed that club founder Harry Twamley BEM has sadly passed awayat the age of 82.
Based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, the National League North side shared the news on Wednesday morning, with fans across the region as well as up and down the English footballing pyramid paying their respects.
Posting on social media, the Curzon Ashton official accounts wrote: “It is with deep regret that we announce that Harry Twamley (BEM) passed away after a long illness.”
“Our condolences are expressed to Richard and Jayne and to the rest of his family at this time.”
While they explained that a full statement will be shared online in the coming days, the initial announcement on the club website featured heartfelt words from former club chairman Wayne Salkeld, who took over from Twamley back in the 2018/19 season, spending five years at the helm.
Salkeld said: “It’s a sad day for everyone at the club. I was honoured when Harry asked me to become chairman in 2018/19 and I will never forget that day.
“I’m going to miss our phone calls which were every day. Thanks for the memories and we will work hard to keep your legacy going.”
Curzon Ashton director Oliver Newall also shared a touching tribute to the club founder, who set up the club back in 1963, adding: “What an incredible man. Someone who brought Curzon Ashton into the world and whom without we would not have had so many amazing moments and memories.
“The word legend gets thrown around too often… Harry Twamley was a legend and he will be missed so much.” He was joined by numerous fans and other clubs in offering their condolences.
By all accounts, one of the loveliest men in football. (Credit: Screenshots via X)
Other teams paying tribute included Salford City, Saddleworth Cricket Club and nearby non-league outfit, FC United of Manchester.
The lattermost wrote: “From all at FC United, we would like to pay our respects to a legend of the game in Greater Manchester, we ground-shared at Curzon Ashton and saw first-hand what an immense character Harry was.”
Twamley was named in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours list back in 2017 and awarded an Order of the British Empire medal for his services to amateur football. Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, The Nash and their supporters.
Rest in peace to an important local figure and treasured champion of the grassroots game.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City is looking for some diehard fans to be part of a new documentary series by sharing their love for the club.
The Sky Blues are no stranger to a documentary, having had several successful series and feature-length shows air on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the club’s own online TV platform CITY+, over the past couple of years – drawing in millions of viewers across the globe each time.
But now, it sounds like there’s another one in the works… and you could be a part of it.
The football club is looking for families with four generations of supporters to share their special memories of following Manchester City down the years.
📣 We’re looking for diehard fans to share their special City memories for an exciting new documentary series!
On top of this, the club is also keen to find fan videos that can help take documentary viewers into the stands from a City fan’s perspective, and is asking that people get in touch and send footage that they’ve taken of some of the club’s most famous moments from over the years – including reactions to Sergio Aguero’s famous goal against QPR in 2012, and the Treble-winning season.
Footage could also be submitted from other important milestones such as the 1999 play off final, or from things like random away days in the 1980s, or even City-themed kids’ birthday parties from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
No matter whether the footage was taken on a mobile phone, old-school video camera, or something similar, it could come in useful.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series / Credit: Manchester City
The only condition is that all footage submitted by fans must be their own, and not recordings from commercial media, or copied from YouTube or any other media/social media outlets.
Keen to be a part of the production then?
If you would like you and your family to be considered for the documentary, then you can email [email protected] with your details and stories about supporting City.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd February 2022 
