JON KENN WINS DEVON SPORTS AWARD as COACH OF DISABLED PERFORMERS

Jon Kenn was invited to a presentation evening at the Tiverton Hotel on Thursday 8th May where he was short listed for the Coach of Disabled People at the Devon 2008 Sports Awards. He was nominated by Rose Coleman of ACE (Access to Community Education) who accompanied him to the event.

Jon was selected as the winner of this category with Julie Knight as runner up. Jon was presented with an engraved glass trophy and certificate from Mark Tyler of ITV Westcountry.

Brixham Adult & Community Learning Centre Head, Jenny Harriman said “Jon always goes over and above what you can expect of any tutor. He is totally professional in his approach to all his work.”

He personally assesses all disabled participants in his swimming and sportsmobility classes to ensure he is aware of their capacities and limitations – this enables him to devise individual learning plans for each participant. Jon welcomes people with severe disabilities to his classes. These individuals are often trapped within their residential homes unable to enjoy sport or other people's company. The swimming classes now have a waiting list of disabled people who wish to attend. Feedback is positive with individuals being more mobile, motivated and gaining in self esteem as a result of the swimming classes.

John offers Sports Mobility on a Thursday afternoon with many Cheshire Home residents taking part. This has developed their teamwork and a wide range of skills from ‘eye to hand' co-ordination to improved flexibility. Jon provided the necessary data for a bid to Sports Relief which resulted in a small grant to cover specialist equipment for this class and salary for a year. He works closely with the Care Worker allocated to this class to plan relevant activities, using both indoor and outdoor facilities.

Students value the ‘freedom' of swimming and the delights of team sports where there is a chance to ‘participate' and not just watch.

Jon is a very motivated and motivating sort of person. Never content to rest on his laurels he is constantly pushing the boundaries and encourages progression from all his students. Working within Adult and Community Learning (ACL) he is expected to provide appropriate paperwork – schemes of work, lesson plans etc. His documentation is very detailed with a weekly analysis of student achievement and development. He has a nice way with students and volunteers making every session fun despite the serious need to improve mobility and health.

Jon also teaches RLSS Lifeguarding as part of the ACL programme at Brixham. He is equally motivating and challenging with the young people (16-18 year olds) on this course and ensures a high standard of training with 100% pass rate over the past 4 years.

Jenny Harriman

01803 853302