Most Outstanding Newcomer.
Nominated by: Local Committees and National Organisers
Selected by: LR Leisure Principal Officers
An award for an individual who in the last 12 months:
- Has participated for the first time in national LR Leisure events/activities and made a significant contribution; or
- Has organised or positively contributed to the organisation of a national LR Leisure event/activity for the first time
Introduced in 2015
Shortlisted nominees:
Jessica Jeffery (Plymouth)
- Joined the promo team in January as Social Media SME.
- Quickly mastered LR Leisure's social media platforms and reviewed them fully.
- Recommended closing the underused X account due to low followers and platform decline.
- Explored alternative options, including a WhatsApp community, presenting pros and cons to the team.
- Developed privacy notices and tested user visibility for WhatsApp community.
- Created clear user guidance to protect members and LR Leisure from data/privacy issues.
- Revitalised LR Leisure's social media presence and produced adaptable digital and print posters.
- Provided local offices with customised posters for their use.
- Known for incredible enthusiasm, fresh ideas, and rapidly growing confidence.
Scott Oliver (Hull)
- First year as National Organiser for golf, managing the Furneaux event.
- Delivered a well-organised and smoothly run event with help from a few DM volunteers.
- Took responsibility for budgeting and overall event planning.
- Confidently presented and managed the crowd during the closing.
- Stayed on-site all day, independently handling the event without support from National LR principal officers.
Sarah Duke-Parker (Nottingham)
- Joined the National Team this year as Sports Day organiser.
- Volunteered to manage accommodation logistics, a challenging role.
- Proactively set up spreadsheets to track registrations and payments.
- Took over liaison with the university, promptly answering attendee questions.
- Actively looks for ways to help, even when accommodation tasks are quiet.
- Cross-checks competition and ticket registrations to ensure full sign-ups.
- Compiling detailed reports to aid activity timetabling and identify conflicts.
- Flags issues early, such as low room bookings, to support promotional efforts.
- Reliable, proactive, and highly valued by the team.
*** WINNER 2025 - Sarah Duke-Parker (Nottingham)***
Previous recipients of the Most Outstanding Newcomer Award:
- 2024 - Megan Bye (Plymouth)
- 2023 - Rachel Nash (Gloucester) and Jarred Guest (Telford)
- 2022 - Helen Kula-Przezwanski (Plymouth)
- 2021 - Donna Swarbrick (Fylde)
- 2020 - Bethany Brown (Coventry)
- 2019 - Tom Poulter (Croydon)