Bridgend Halo employees scoop five trophies at staff annual awards!

It was a fantastic evening for Halo employees from across the county borough, with them claiming five awards at Halo’s recent annual staff awards ceremony.

Held this year in Herefordshire on 19 November, the event celebrates the achievements of staff who work tirelessly to support their local community, encouraging people to become healthier and more active.

Staff from Halo Leisure facilities in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Wiltshire and Shropshire, as well as in the County Borough of Bridgend, all participate in this prestigious annual occasion.

This year, awards night was particularly successful for Ogmore Valley Life Centre.  Recognised for its exciting activity programme, combined with its warm, personal welcome for the local community, it was awarded Halo Centre of the Year 2022.

The centre excels in making exercise accessible to those who may find participation challenging - their dementia and autism friendly sessions are just two examples demonstrating this. 

Committed to supporting local people with their physical health, as well as their mental wellbeing, the life centre has been instrumental in launching the Ogmore Valley Suicide Awareness Group.

The children's activities during the school holidays, bounce and play sessions, as well as the gymnastic programme have also been highlighted as beacons of good practice within Halo.  

The celebrations continued for the centre with individual awards going to Betty Kerry, winner of the Halo Volunteer of the Year 2022 and Scott Hancock, winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award 2022.

Known for her infectious positivity, Betty has a wonderful rapport with customers and staff alike – even organising a regular Movie Club, where older people can come together with a slice of cake, a cup of tea and a chat!

An inspiration to all, Betty believes that at just 80 years young, she is too young too slow down! In the words of staff at the centre, ‘The world should have more Bettys in it’.

Scott Hancock received his award for Outstanding Achievement, reflecting his passion for encouraging children to become physically active from an early age.  Using limited resources, Scott has recruited a team of volunteers to develop a new gymnastics programme that has benefitted children from across the valleys – truly assisting Halo in their commitment to ‘Creating Healthier Communities’.

Pencoed’s Swimming Pool manager, Mike Thomas, has been praised for his attention to detail, support and encouragement for the team, project management, as well as his practical leadership skills – attributes which have landed him the award for Halo Leisure’s Manager of the Year 2022.

Finally, the Team of the Year Award 2022 was presented to the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) Team from Bridgend County Borough.

Operating across Halo centres in the county borough, the team works with people over 16 years of age who would benefit from being more active or are at risk of developing chronic disease.  It supports people whose GP has referred them to Halo for a gentle introduction to exercise.

The team is pivotal in improving the mental and physical health of those referred, through the supervised, tailored activity programme that they offer.

Since 2012, our partnership with Halo has been designed to improve the wellbeing in Bridgend County Borough. These awards are a reflection of the quality service that this partnership provides.

In addition, these achievements are not just a wonderful recognition of the hard work of Halo staff across the county borough, but they are also testimony to the caring nature of the Halo employees, who go above and beyond their job description to help those within their community.

For me, living within the Ogmore Valley, the recognition of the life centre here is especially poignant.

I am familiar with the warmth of the community and it is wonderful that the centre has also been acknowledged for this, as well as for its many other qualities.

We are considerably proud of what has been achieved in the Halo Awards 2022 and are honoured to have such key figures working within our county borough, having such a positive impact on the health of those living here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the winners.

Cabinet Member for Wellbeing of Future Generations, Councillor Rhys Goode