SPORTS staff were celebrating yesterday after beating off stiff competition from around the region to win an award.

Hambleton District Council's sports development service triumphed over 21 other authorities to win the Yorkshire and Humber Sports Development Award.

The award, from the Federation of Yorkshire Sport, recognises the team's sports development work, particularly with the voluntary sector - facilitating grants, offering advice, supporting local projects and development plans.

"This is a huge achievement for the district," said the council's cabinet spokesman on leisure, Councillor Neville Huxtable.

"We are a small authority compared to the many we were up against, so we are immensely proud to have won." But it is not just our award - this is shared with the five branch Sports Councils in the district.

"We work in partnership with club secretaries, coaches, chairmen and volunteers, all dedicated to providing sports facilities for Hambleton.

"We can help them improve those facilities and it is this joint working that the award recognises."

The chairman of the Federation of Yorkshire Sport, Robin Barron, said: "Our panel was very impressed by the great number and variety of working partnerships that were up and running in the authority. Given the changing Government agendas for sport, it is clear that the authority is thinking ahead as to how it can best meet those challenges.

"It would appear that the general philosophy on the way ahead is in safe hands."