Chloe Rogers

SAFFRON Walden Museum is calling for help to find and celebrate Uttlesford’s Sporting Heroes, past and present, for a special event to be held in May.

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International hockey player Chloe Rogers – a Team Essex Ambassador to promote sport in the county for 2012 – will be helping to launch the Saffron Walden Museum-led project today (January 13) with three events in Saffron Walden and Great Dunmow.

The museum will be putting on an exhibition highlighting the sporting achievements of local people back through the decades.

All nominations that are accepted will be featured in the Sporting Heroes exhibition, which will be launched at the ‘Sparks Will Fly at Walden Castle’ event on May 19 as part of an Essex-wide cultural Olympiad project.

Museum curator Carolyn Wingfield said: “To mark Olympic year we want to celebrate the contribution of those who play an important role in sport at grass-roots level.

“We are asking sports clubs and residents in Uttlesford to nominate their local sporting heroes.

“Nominations will be displayed at our big event in May and a digital copy will go to all libraries and museums in the district as a legacy and record of local sport in 2012.”

Chloe Rogers said: “It is a great honour for me to be involved in the launch of the sporting heroes project for my local area where I grew up.

“Uttlesford provided me with great support when I was younger and starting out in my sport, and I hope this can help any aspiring athletes to go on and compete at a higher level.

“It is also pleasing to see the recognition of volunteers, coaches and other sporting people’s commitment and dedication be shown to the community.”

Chloe will be visiting three Uttlesford venues to launch the Sporting Heroes project tomorrow.

The day kicks off at Saffron Walden Museum where she will meet staff, volunteers and pupils from St Mary’s Primary School.

She will be shown some of the more unusual sporting artefacts, including a Viking skate, and there will be a hockey skills demonstration outside in the castle grounds.

Chloe will then visit Saffron Walden Library to meet the public and invited guests. Saffron Walden Town FC are organising an exhibition about its history.

The final event will see Chloe visit Dunmow Library. Mini sports activities will be set up in the town square outside the library where schoolchildren and other members of sports clubs are being invited to meet her.

• Nomination forms for local sporting heroes will be available from the Museum, TIC and local libraries, or on-line at uttlesford.gov.uk/sportingheroes. The closing date for nominations is Friday March 16.

You can nominate anyone past or present, whom you think has earned a special place in playing or promoting local sports anywhere in the district. Your hero does not need to be famous or a medal winner, just someone who has made a special contribution to their sport. They could be

• A player or team who has excelled in their sport or inspired by their perseverance

• An inspirational PE teacher, coach, club founder or promoter of local sports

• A celebrity sportsman or woman who lives or used to live in Uttlesford.

• Any sport qualifies - whether it’s football, bowls, martial arts or tug-of-war. It doesn’t have to be an Olympic sport.