Top Sports Civic Honour For Mr Gillett

clints-award

A Bungay Black Belt was honoured at the Mayor of Bungays Civic presentation evening recently for services and success in sport.  Clinton Gillett (Assistant Headteacher) was presented with the Bezant Cup as the Towns Sports Personality of the year. 

Mayor Judy Cloke who presented the awards said it was lucky for Bungay that former world silver medallist Clinton Gillett was appointed as Head of Technology at the High School and set up a club for members of the community in the Olympic martial art of Taekwondo.

“In the 11 years that he has been running the club over 20 students have achieved a black belt and 2 of those (Susan and Nigel Bedingfield) have opened a club in Beccles. There have been many British Champions and hundreds of members but perhaps the greatest achievement of this modest man has been the number of students with special educational needs who have enjoyed the sport and gained success,” she said. “One of these an Autistic Spectrum youngster has gained a black belt.”

Clinton thanked his wife Michaela who is treasurer of the club and his assistant instructor Martin Sloan for helping keep the club running and said he was delighted to receive the award which is testament to the talent and enthusiasm of students in the area.

“I am enormously proud of the club and love supporting the students many of which do not excel in team sports but do really well in both local and national tournaments, indeed several members of the school train with the current national squad.”

The awards were presented at a sit down dinner with Peter Aldous MP and all the other Mayors of the region as well as Bungay Town Reeve and came as a surprise to Clinton as he had no idea that they had been even nominated for the town awards.