Olympics champions

Dedicated: village Olympics committee members (from the left) Margaret Caffrey, Jayne Fielding, Siobhan Doyle, Kate McGrath, Kay Connor, Cath Gallagher, Carole Bell, Ben Hilton, Paul Rice, John Mayor, Allison Holroyd and Dave Willson

DEDICATED committee members who have put on the Saddleworth Olympics for 25 years have been nominated for a Pride in Oldham award.

The hard-working team of 14 has been put forward for its efforts to organise the landmark annual event that aims to get children of all ages and abilities involved in sport.

Thousands of sporting youngsters have taken part over the years, with over 1,300 children participating this year alone.

The nomination is the icing on the cake for the chairman and five other members of the committee, stepping down this year after the quarter century event.

Committee chairman Ben Hilton said: “It is absolutely wonderful to be nominated — we do this for the children. I think the games are unique in the UK. It brings together children from 13 villages — no matter what their ability.

“The support from parents and the community is always, without a shadow of a doubt, fantastic.

“To think that they would deem us worthy of an award makes us really proud.”

It’s been a bumpy ride for the talented team, often having to battle against harsh weather and waterlogged fields to ensure the success of the games.

A handful of events had to be cancelled in 2008 due to torrential rain making the pitch unusable.

The games grew from a small sports day event started by David Needham in 1985. The annual event has put a spotlight on talented teens including Hall of Fame star Emily Shaw who competed for the Scouthead, Austerlands and Springhead team before taking up athletics in 2002.

She went on to win gold for England at the World Schools’ Games in 2006, became the fastest under-20 female runner in the UK and has her sights set on a medal at the London 2012 games.