A CHAMPION of safe sport in Calne has received a national award from 11-time paralympic gold medallist for going the extra mile to protect children from harm.

Serena Morten was presented with one of six UK Safeguarding Star gongs by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson at Wembley on Wednesday, October 5 at the Child Protection in Sport Unit's annual conference.

The CPSU, which is a partnership between the NSPCC, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Wales founded in 2011 to minimise the risk of child abuse during sporting activities, rewarded Mrs Morten for her role in developing safeguarding in Volleyball over the last 12 months.

She said: "I am very honoured to receive the award. It was unexpected and it's great to see volleyball recognised on a national stage.

"I am delighted to see clubs across the country adopt the new safeguarding standards that we are implementing and hope to see the fruition for young people playing our sport going forward."

Mrs Morten's work has significantly strengthened the sport's relationship with the organisation according to Rob Payne, Safeguarding Lead at Volleyball UK.

Sally Proudlove, the NSPCC’s CPSU lead, said: "It’s really reassuring to see that people like Serena, with sound safeguarding expertise, are willing to give their time to impact on sport so well."

For more information about the Child Protection in Sport Unit visit www.thecpsu.org.uk.