Leading from the front!

Beth Tweddle

EVERYTHING great about sport is celebrated at a sparkling ceremony on Friday night.

The Oldham Sports Awards 2106 takes place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall when sports men and women, volunteers, coaches and unsung heroes are saluted by an audience of 300.

The Oldham Sports Development team are at the centre of the presentation evening which is sure to get people on their feet in recognition of the finalists' brilliant achievements.

Organisers would like to thank the Oldham Council, Ball Zone, Oldham Community Leisure, Stoller Charitable Trust and New Image in supporting the glittering event.

Awards will be presented on the night in nine categories.

They are ­- Contribution to School Sport; Disabled Sports Achiever; Sports Volunteer; Sports Achiever; Coach of the Year; Young Sports Volunteer; Club of the Year; Unsung hero/special recognition; Changing lifestyle.

From the hundreds of nominations, an independent judging panel came up with three finalists in the varios sections.

In this Oldham Sports Awards 2016 preview supplement, each finalist is featured in their respective categories, but only one individual or club will carry off the prestigious award.

GYMNAST

Friday's guest speaker is Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, who landed a bronze medal at the London Games.

In a glittering career, Tweddle won three world titles as well as six European and one Commonwealth crown, making her Britain's most successful gymnast.

Your MC for the evening is Mike Shaft, of BBC Radio Manchester.

Awaiting most of the winners is a place at the Greater Manchester Sports Awards, which are held later in the year.

So let us make this another night to remember for Oldham and salute its prowess on the local and national scene, plus those people who have improved their well-being and the people behind the scenes who give their time to make sport possible for others.

Tickets are still available at a cost of £30. For more details and to book, call Anna Shiels on 07834 568529 or email anna.shiels@oldham.gov.uk