Treasurer at basketball is top volunteer

HELAN'S so proud of her award

AN OLDHAM businesswoman and co-owner of a home care company has been named Volunteer of the Year for her dedicated work with a junior basketball club.

Helan Graham helps the Manchester Giants Junior Basketball Club, which was formed by the merger of Oldham Titans Basketball and professional side Manchester Giants.

The club has given her the accolade in recognition of her great support. It currently has more than 150 playing members and seven teams, and also has a men's team, the Oldham Titans, which plays in the Manchester Area Basketball League.

Mrs Graham, who is a co-director at Springhead-based care business Caremark Oldham, first became interested in basketball some years ago when her sons started playing local league games.

She said: "I first became officially involved as treasurer with the club about five years ago when it was named Oldham Titans Basketball Club. However, as the club became more popular and more competitive, we merged it with the professional side Manchester Giants. That merger has added a new dimension and pathway from junior basketball to the professional game."

Starting with four national league teams, the club now runs seven teams from a men's side to an under-12s academy programme.

As club treasurer, Mrs Graham's work covers a wide range of activities including agreeing the fixtures for national league games, registering members into the club, handling all the purchasing and payments for the club, designing and ordering kit, and running the tuck shop.

As the basketball club has grown, so has the success ans trophies for its various teams, which have travelled to matches across the country and also to international competitions in Ireland.

More fixtures in Ireland and Spain are on the calendar this summer and the club is hopeful of securing more wins.

Mrs Graham added: "Over the years we have grown in numbers and become a very successful club. It is great to put something back into the community and provide opportunity for young people to achieve, to see them grow in confidence and to develop life skills. Now let's see what the 2017-18 season brings."

Away from the club, Mrs Graham is building Caremark Oldham with business partner Stephanie Doherty. The firm recently moved from Lees to County End Business Centre.