England Netball are delighted to congratulate Mo Squires on being awarded the prestigious ‘Volunteer of the Year’ accolade at the recent Torch Trophy Trust Awards which took place at the Army and Navy Club in London on Wednesday 7th February.
The Torch Trophy Trust is a charity that rewards, recognises and supports volunteers in sport and recreation and in particular aims to identify and honour sporting volunteers who ordinarily would neither gain or seek recognition for their work with sports clubs and individual athletes in their local communities.
Mo had been nominated by England Netball President, Lindsay Sartori, to receive an award for ‘her outstanding voluntary work for England Netball’ and specifically for her involvement in the development and delivery of Walking Netball.
Mo was chosen from 20 exceptional volunteers across a whole range of sports to win the overall award for volunteering in sport.
With her citation read by Sir Trevor Brooking and her award presented by the Duke of Gloucester, Mo’s years of service to netball were rightly honoured.
Mo has fondly been named as the ‘founder’ of Walking Netball and has been a strong advocate of the game and its benefits.
As one of the first Walking Netball hosts, Mo led the launch of the game in Swindon and Wiltshire, and has ensured that it continues to go from strength to strength – she now oversees six sessions running each week in Swindon and also built a relationship with Wiltshire Council who now deliver five sessions across the county too.
Alongside local delivery, Mo continues to support to the wider delivery of the game – including providing access to sessions for coverage on BBC Radio 4 and Sky Sports.
Her commitment to the Swindon Vixens – a netball club designed to engage and support young women with learning disabilities to access netball – was also acknowledged.
Mo was in shock to receive the overall award and said: “Recognition doesn’t come easily to me.
“There are many thousand volunteers giving hundreds of thousands of hours each year to sporting organisations throughout the UK.
“Without these volunteers I think many sports would struggle to survive let alone develop and prosper.”
Despite openly admitting that being recognised at these events was not ‘her thing’, Mo confidentally chatted with pride to other award winners and celebrities.
Mo never lets a fundraising opportunity pass her by and, true to form, she left the event clutching two netballs signed by Sir Trevor Brooking and Sir Bobby Charlton for another fundraiser planned for later this year.
A truly exceptional netballer.
