Kelly receives ‘inspirational learner’ award

A member of staff at Pembrokeshire Leisure has been presented with one of the leisure industry’s highest accolades.

Kelly Gittins, health and fitness officer at Haverfordwest Leisure Centre, has gained an Inspirational Learner Award from ICON Training – a leading UK sport and leisure industry training provider.

Kelly was presented with her award at a gala event at Celtic Manor, Newport to celebrate ICON Training’s 20th Anniversary. The ceremony recognised and rewarded learners for their commitment and achievements.

She said: “It was a great honour to receive this award. I have been lucky enough to be given some great opportunities over the years within Pembrokeshire Leisure not only for my own development, but to contribute to making a difference to the service we offer and strive to achieve.”

Kelly, who is 29 and from Fishguard, started working at Pembrokeshire Leisure – Pembrokeshire County Council’s leisure services – in 2004 as a Leisure Assistant at Fishguard Leisure Centre.

After completing two apprenticeships at Fishguard to a very high standard, her success gained the attention of senior management and she became part of the duty officer team.

She subsequently introduced several new initiatives to improve performance and led the team to success with one of the highest Quest quality management scores in Pembrokeshire.

When Kelly gained promotion as Fitness and Marketing Officer at the Fishguard Leisure Centre, she entered the UKActive FLAME award for the first time – which led to Fishguard being voted as one of the top three fitness management operations in the UK.

Newly-married Kelly thanked her family for their encouragement in her career. “My family, especially my Nan have always supported me as well as Andrew, my husband. Plus I have had some great mentors within Pembrokeshire Leisure over the years.”

Julie Ashley-Jones, Principal Leisure Development Officer at Pembrokeshire County Council, congratulated Kelly on her award, saying:

“Kelly deserves recognition for the hard work and commitment to Leisure,” she said. “I have mentored Kelly for several years and spotted her potential and drive to make ‘positive changes within the leisure industry. We are very proud of her achievements and others within the team who are also studying for their Level 5 award.”

Kelly is currently studying a degree Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management to support her current role at Haverfordwest Leisure Centre. One of her assignments has been used to create a new behavioural matrix model for new inductions as part of Pembrokeshire’s Kickstart programme.

Cllr Elwyn Morse, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, said: “I’d like to congratulate Kelly on her success which shows a great deal of dedication on her part. Her learning journey is inspiring to others and she is a very worthy recipient of the ‘inspirational learner’ award.”

Gary Denton, Director ICON Training said; “Our learners are evidence that with a little support and guidance the opportunities in this sector can be endless and can also be long-term.

“For too long, many jobs in our industry have been viewed as something temporary or short-term. We’re working hard to change that, and our inspirational learners are evidence of what can be achieved.”

Caption
Kelly Gittins (left), winner of an Inspirational Learner Award from ICON Training, with Suzanne Gunn, CEO of ActiveIQ