Last updated 19:07, Monday, 01 December 2008

• See Laura Park's sporting career in pictures here

THE talents and dedication of athletes, sports teams, coaches and sport volunteers in Cumbria were celebrated at the 25th anniversary celebration of the annual Cumbria Sports Awards.

Nearly 300 guests, including former first class cricketer and guest speaker Andy Hayhurst, congratulated winners at the event at the Low Wood Hotel, Windermere.

Organised by Cumbria Sport Partnership, the awards recognise the outstanding talents, commitment and successes of teams and individuals throughout Cumbria who are involved in sport.

This year’s winner of the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award went to racing driver Oliver Turvey.

The judging panel deliberated long and hard about this award, with the standard of nominations and achievements increasing each year.

However, the winner has had a truly outstanding 2008, having recently been named as Formula 3 driver of the year by the Racing Steps Foundation, which provides vital financial support to young drivers such as him.

This accolade came during a debut F3 season in which he has won twice at Oulton Park and Spa and also gained eight podium finishes.

He finished a magnificent second in the 2008 British Formula 3 Championship after being cruelly denied the title by Spain's Jaime Alguersuari.

During the year he was also named the Formula 3 Challenge Cup Champion, and is hoping to make the next step up to Formula 2 for the 2009 season. He is currently jetting off all over the world working as a test driver, and his ultimate ambition is to drive in Formula 1.

Golf player Gary Lockerbie walked away with the Performance Award after winning the Kazakhstan Open, the most lucrative event on the European Challenge Tour.

The 2008 Team of the Year Award went to Barrow Football Club after they performed a remarkable transformation during the course of their season. In November they stood third bottom of their league and looked destined for a relegation battle.

Then, following the appointment of a new management team, they went on an unbeaten run of 20 games, winning 16 and keeping 13 clean sheets to reach the Blue Square North Play-off Final against Stayleybridge Celtic.

2,000 Barrow fans travelled to Burton Albion to see their team win 1-0 with a goal from Matt Henney, catapulting Barrow back to the top tier of non league football.

The Special Award winner, Ken Law, stood out for the level of dedication to his chosen sport and the longevity of that commitment. Ken is over 80 years old and has been involved in the sport of Bowls for over 50 years.

He plays a very active role as a competitor and as an administrator of Walney Park Bowling club in Barrow-in-Furness.

The winner of the Service to Sport Award 2008 went to Geoff Grainger. Geoff has been involved in football, particularly developing opportunities for youth teams, for over 50 years.

He has created 10 boys teams, four girls teams and most recently a women’s team all playing from the club’s base at Abbeytown. He is now responsible for providing football playing opportunities for over 250 young people every week.

Frank Davidson was the winner of the Volunteer of the Year award, although he was a strong contender in a number of other categories.

The winner has been inspiring young people for many years.

He is involved mainly in a coaching capacity, but is also widely regarded as a true ambassador for his club and also his sport of athletics.

The winner of the Performance Award for People with a Disability goes to Paula Johnson. Paula has had an unforgettable year. She has been involved in weekly training for two national squads in Sheffield, Aylesbury and Nottingham, and has been playing competitively in Wolverhampton.

Following an early setback, our winner was finally selected to represent the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team at the Paralympics in Beijing, and was instrumental in the team’s 61-29 victory over Brazil.

The First XV Rugby Union Team from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith, won Junior Team of the Year after they reached the Final of the Daily Mail Vase at Twickenham.

This was particularly impressive since they had to play the majority of their fixtures away from home against well established rugby playing schools.

The Coach of the Year for 2008 is Hockey Coach Peter Nicholson.

After starting his hockey career playing at Ulverston School, Peter is currently employed as the Performance Manager for England Hockey, and was also the Team Manager for the GB Men’s Team at this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Cumbrian Newspapers-junior sponsored Sports Personality of the year was one of the most keenly contested categories and the judging panel deliberated long and hard about the eventual winner.

Other contenders this year included Gregg McNally, Whitehaven’s rugby league player; Seb Crookall-Nixon, the England Boys Under 16 Golf Champion; and Lauren Smith, who has competed for the Senior England Women’s Badminton Team during 2008.

However this years deserving winner was athlete Laura Park, whose list of sporting achievements is quite astonishing. During 2008 she has won the World Junior Mountain Running Championships representing England in Switzerland.

She has won the UK Schools Games 3000m Championships in a Personal Best time. She has become the English AAA U17 3000m Champion, beating the Scottish and Irish Champions.

She also won the English Schools Intermediate Girls 3000m Championships which were held at the Gateshead International Stadium.

During the Cross Country season she became the UK Under 20 Inter Counties Champion, as well as the Under 17 English Champion.

The winners of the five Rising Star Awards are: Sailor Sam Hall; Cyclist Richard Houghton; Danneika Borthwick (tennis), fell runner Hannah Bethwaite and Jemma Bell (orienteering).

Guest speaker Andy Hayhurst said: “It was an honour to attend the Cumbria Sports Awards and celebrate the great achievements in sport throughout Cumbria.

“I am really impressed with the standard of talent in Cumbria and would especially like to praise this year’s rising stars who I am sure will go on to achieve great things in their chosen sport.”