Leeds Girls Can volunteers pick up award at glamorous Leeds Sports Awards at First Direct Arena

The Leeds Girls Can Ambassadors picked up the Leeds Cares Award, backed by the Yorkshire Evening Post, at Leeds First Direct Arena last night.

The team of 12 volunteers give up their time to elad events across the city, with over 200 women taking part in their ‘Couch to 5k’ programme in 2018.

They now hold free sessions two or three times per week in five locations, with each run by volunteers from run clubs within the city.

They also organise a free 12-week bootcamp at Middleton Park, numerous free walking groups and bikes rides as well as dozens of taster sessions and over 30 free events on International Women’s Day.

Louise Walker, Dani Penney, Emma Young and Kirsty Midgley picked up the award from the BBC’s Tanya Arnold.

Dani said: “We’ve been able to go from strength to strength. Working with more communities and schools and doing things that we would never have imagined doing. It’s gone from me delivering sessions is parks stood like a wally in the rain to so many sessions.”

Louise said: “It’s women going from thinking ‘I can’t run’, they might be overweight, they might have families, they don’t put themselves first and then nine weeks later they’re running and joining weekly social running groups. It goes from nothing to something.

Kirsty added: “We’re not a club, we’re not a league, we’re not elitist in anything, we are just mums and friends and girls doing it every day and I think that’s what makes a really big difference with some girls - there’s not fear, no judgement, we’re doing it on our rubbish bikes and old trainers.

Leeds Cares, the charity formerly known as the Leeds Hospital Charitable Foundation, supports the city’s hospitals and their wards.

Also nominated were:

Andrew Gardner, for his work with SPIDER-Y, the disability sports charity that is behind both the Leeds Spiders Wheelchair Basketball Club and the Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair Rugby League Team.

The longstanding and ever-popular Leeds Gymnastics Club

Otley Sailing Club, which encourages sailing for all ages and abilities and is run entirely by volunteers

Peter Thompson, the regional activator for Ping! A lottery-funded initiative from Table Tennis England which places free tables throughout the UK. He’s had a big impact in South Leeds.

Yorkshire Cancer Research, for providing health and fitness advice sessions for cancer sufferers with the Leeds Rhinos Foundation.