The Pickaquoy Centre Trust awards their first lifetime ActiveLife membership to international athlete and long-distance runner, William Sichel.
William has set multiple ultra-distance running records (from 30 miles on the track to 3100 miles on the road) at World, British and Scottish level including age-group records.
He has been an advocate of the Picky Centre for many years - speaking at events, writing articles and supporting the Centre’s contribution to the community.
James Linklater, Managing Director of The Pickaquoy Centre, said: “In recognition of his achievements to date and his unwavering support for Picky, William Sichel is the first to receive this honorary award with a unanimous vote from our Board of Trustees.
“William has been and is, a true inspiration through his commitment and perseverance to his sport, still working hard to reach his personal goals even today. This is a very well-deserved award, and I am delighted that William is the first recipient.”
William Sichel said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I was informed of this award. What a lovely gesture from the Trustees, James Linklater and all the staff at Picky. I feel humbled, honoured and very grateful indeed."
In addition to William’s lifetime membership, The Pickaquoy Centre has selected ten athletes to support through the Picky Sponsorship Programme with a free annual ActiveLife membership giving them unlimited access to The Pickaquoy Centre and all 11 Council owned leisure facilities across the islands.
The ten recipients are:
- Craig Moar – Running
- Donna Wilson – Hockey & Rugby
- Ewan Foubister – Athletics
- Finlay Scott – Squash
- Kathryn Moar – Climbing
- Maggie Tait – Fencing
- Paul Scott – Badminton
- Rebecca Reid – Badminton
- Taylah Spence – Athletics
- Tegan Spence – Athletics
James continued: “We are delighted to have such a high caliber of athletes to sponsor this year across a range of sports. This is the first year we’ve had hockey, squash and climbing as part of the programme, and we hope it really helps to showcase the wide array of talent we have in Orkney.
“The sponsorship programme was created to support athletes who compete at the elite level, but equally those who demonstrate great commitment, and act as a role model to young people who are new to sport. I feel we’ve accomplished this with the fantastic athletes on the programme this year and look forward to seeing their achievements over the coming months.”
Follow www.pickaquoy.co.uk/news and The Pickaquoy Centre social media channels for updates on the sponsored recipients throughout the coming year.