SPAR NI, alongside SPAR UK has launched their 2019 People’s Podium campaign to celebrate diverse and unsung heroes in local community sport.

This second year of the initiative is inviting people to nominate their local heroes via SPAR NI’s Facebook page, and online at spar-ni.co.uk.

To enter, nominators simply need to either comment on the brand’s page or fill in the entry form on the website with their nominee’s name, job and why they should win.

The UK-wide initiative, which has also partnered with TV presenter Andi Peters to promote the call-to-action from his own platforms, will reward one individual with £10,000 of funding for their project. A further four projects will also be rewarded with £2,000 each.

The campaign also aims to celebrate SPAR NI’s support of Athletics Northern Ireland.

Last year, NI’s champion hurdler Megan Marrs paid a visit to Abbey Gymnastics in north Belfast, where she surprised founder Alison McMullan, recognising her important role in the community through sport.

Alison received £2,000 funding as part of her recognition, which went straight into further development of the facilities where her young gymnasts train on the Shankill Road.

Alison commented; “It was such an honour that our neighbours nominated us for this recognition, and with the funds received from the People’s Podium initiative, we have been able to make some positive changes here which benefit all our members.”

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group, owners of the SPAR brand in Northern Ireland added; “Local initiatives which encourage activity, and team sports really bring together a community, which is a huge part of our ethos at SPAR NI.

“Alison and Abbey Gymnastics were a really worthy winner last year, so we’re hoping communities across Northern Ireland get involved in nominating even more local sports clubs and community initiatives for our 2019 campaign.

“SPAR stores are at the heart of communities across Northern Ireland, and our employee-focused strategy means shoppers can chat to our team members to find out more about the campaign and how to make a nomination.”

In fact, this year stores can make a collective nomination via the SPAR NI website, which will enable them to put their local sports club or community initiative in the mix to win an extra prize of £2,000, and the opportunity to attend the grand prize award ceremony in September with Andi Peters.

With almost 300 stores in Northern Ireland, SPAR is at the heart of local communities. The People’s Podium campaign is a demonstration of SPAR’s commitment to always be there to support local people and their communities, anytime and anywhere.

For updates on the winning project, follow SPAR NI on Facebook and Twitter or visit sparni.co.uk/peoplespodium.

Share this page: