Harriers athlete Victoria Levitt crowns a great 2025 with Mansfield Sportsperson of the Year award

World Para Championships gold medal sprinter Victoria finished the season ranked number one in the UK in the T44 category for 100m and 200m.

Following an impressive indoor season, Victoria carried that momentum into the outdoor season, dominating the domestic circuit.

She stormed to both British and English championship wins over 100m and also English Championship success over 200m.

Those performances confirmed her selection for the World Para Championships in New Delhi, India.

There she made national headlines, winning gold and silver in the T44 100m and 200m respectively.

It was a stunning success on her international debut.

Now Victoria is planning for the Commonwealth Games next year and also the prospect of a trip to Los Angeles in the US for the 2028 Paralympic Games.

The awards are organised by the Armchair Club with More Leisure Community Trust and the Mansfield and Ashfield News Journal, and sponsored by Schools Mutual Services, and celebrate the district’s best teams, coaches, volunteers, sportsmen, and sportswomen.

Overall this year there were nominations from a wide ranging variety of sports.

Judges - School Games organiser Nicola Biggs, Armchair Club members Emma Curry and Geoff Waller, Carolyn Hallam of More Leisure Community Trust, Jason Harrison, sports editor of Mansfield 103.2, and Tim Morriss, editor of the News Journal - faced a difficult task, with just one point separating the winner and second place in several categories.

Maurice Brackenbury Team of the Year winners were Skegby-based Revolution Gym, who won 18 gold medals, four silvers, and two bronzes at the World Combat Championships in Hungary to become the number one gym at the tournament.

Their coach, Neil Huntley, was named Coach of the Year too after consistently showing what it means to go above and beyond in the boxing and martial arts community.

In the past year he moved his Revolution gym to new premises in Skegby to accommodate his ever-growing membership, transforming an uninhabitable building into a state-of-the-art facility while still coaching daily.

Club of the Year winners were Mansfield Harriers, who continue to offer athletics for all ages and abilities, with thriving junior and senior sections.

A highlight of their year was hosting the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Track and Field Championships, while the club competes successfully both locally and nationally.

Junior Team of the Year went to Mansfield Harriers U17s, who had success at county, regional, and national level.

The team, who came together as U13s or earlier, have continued to develop and are national road 5k champions and placed fourth in both the road and cross-country national relays.

Harriers are also Midland U17 road relay and 5k title winners, while at a local level they won both the Nottinghamshire County Championships and the North Midland Cross-Country League.

Special Olympic Awardwinner was ice skater Callum Mills.

He is British and World Inclusive Skating champion in multiple events, as well as a Virtual World Champion.

In mainstream synchro, he helped Team Diamond win the Britannia Cup, Steel City Cup, and Blackburn Cup.

Junior Sportsperson of the Year was won by Ollerton's Albie Walker.

His successful golfing year culminated in September when the 14-year-old was invited to join the U18 England Golf regional squad.

Albie had topped the leaderboard at the U14 European Masters and was fifth at the U14 North of England Junior Strokeplay.

The Roger Copestake Mayor’s Special Achievement Award went to Sherwood Seals Swimming Club, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary of providing swimming opportunities and social activities for the disabled community.

Entirely run by a dedicated team of volunteers, a standout achievement in the past year was expanding their team, which is now largely made up of school-aged young people.

Barry Gibson Disability Sportsperson of the Year winner was skater Meg McFarlane, who trains at Lammas Leisure Centre, Sutton, who earned more medals at both national and international Inclusive Skating competitions over the past year.

Her standout achievement came at the World Paralympics Championships in Sweden, where she won two gold medals to become world champion in both free skate and free dance.

Already ranked 14th in the world, Meg’s ranking is set to rise after her fine season.

Junior Sports Leader of the Year was won by Isaac Fletcher, a junior coach at Mansfield Tennis Club, who has been instrumental in supporting and running sessions for younger players, helping them to not only improve their tennis skills, but also to build confidence and enjoyment in the sport.

Isaac has already self-funded his Level 1 coaching qualification and is now eager to progress to Level 2.

The Ian Bagshaw Memorial Award is presented to a person in the sporting community in Mansfield who has made a significant contribution and this year’s winner, Marc Johnson, treasurer of North Notts Hockey Club, plays a vital role in ensuring its continued success and sustainability.

The John Slater Volunteer Award went to Paul Unwin, one of the driving forces behind North Notts Hockey Club’s ongoing success and development.

As chair he has been instrumental in leading the club’s long-term strategy, and is spearheading a major fundraising campaign for a new pitch that has united members, parents, and the wider community behind an ambitious and vital project for the club’s future.

Paul balances all of this while still playing for the men’s 1st XI.

The evening was compered by Sky Sports presenter Nick Johnson, who highlighted how the Armchair Club has been supporting local sportspeople and sporting clubs since 1982, having made grants of more than £320,000.

Nick explained how it supports all sportspeople — able bodied and those with disabilities — to make a positive difference, regardless of whether they are potentially world class or just needing new kit to take part locally.

As well as the awards evening, the Armchair Club hosts a Question of Sport event, Golf Day, Charity Swimathon, and comedy dinner every year, all raising money for its work in local sport.

A further £2,500 was donated by Mansfield Building Society last year.

This enabled grants totalling £6,630 to be made to individuals and clubs by the Armchair Club, in many cases in partnership with the building society and Mansfield Rotary.

Organisers thanked sponsors Schools Mutual Services, Adkin Sinclair, Collins Wealth Management, Hall-Fast Industrial Supplies, Hopkins Solicitors, John Sankey, Linney, Nimbus Disability, Portland Community, Pinders Opticians, and Tyler Bros.