Emily Larrington, Steve T’abois and Rebecca Bordeaux were recognised for the outstanding voluntary work undertaken for the community through RELAYS sponsored projects, which are largely inspired, planned and run by further and higher education student and community volunteers.

RELAYS is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

University of Plymouth student, Steve T’abois, who was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the 2012 Sporting Legacy, has subsequently been short listed for the BBC West Sports Awards in December this year under the Volunteering category.

Steve, who is a postgraduate student at the University of Plymouth, volunteered at the Devon Games to Inspire 2009 and the Devon Ability Games to Inspire which together saw more than 1,500 participants and thousands of spectators.

He said: “It was a real privilege to work with everyone at RELAYS on the Devon Games to Inspire and the Devon Ability Games.”

“Everyone was so enthusiastic and dedicated to making sure that the events ran perfectly, as well as most importantly, that the kids really enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity to work with so many talented youngsters, all with such a passion for sports. Everyone at RELAYS did a fantastic job at inspiring thousands of youngsters to participate and compete in their sports”.

Emily Larrington, who is in her final year at University College Falmouth, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award for helping to plan and run the Inspired by the Sea event in Cornwall. She said: “I had the opportunity to learn a lot about how to organise an event, which has improved my organisational skills. The whole experience was great fun and to win the volunteer award has really encouraged me to continue to learn more through working on projects such as RELAYS.”

The Outstanding Contribution to 2012 Cultural Legacy award was given to Rebecca Bordeaux for her support at the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall. Rebecca, who recently graduated from the former Dartington College of Arts, put her time and energy into coordinating the 25 Tent with The Works dance and theatre organisation.