Celebrating Our People: Sport and Recreation Reward and Recognition Winners 2025/26

Ten colleagues whose work this year has been genuinely exceptional, and who were chosen by the people best placed to judge it: the colleagues who work alongside them every day. Congratulations to our 2025/26 Reward and Recognition winners!

Our Reward and Recognition Scheme runs throughout the year and is nominated and voted for entirely by staff, which is what makes it one of the most valued parts of our culture at Sport and Recreation. What this year's list makes clear is that excellence isn't confined to one team or one type of role, it shows up right across the department, in every corner of our service. Here's what our winners achieved in 2025/26, and why their colleagues put them forward.

Team Members of the Year 2025/26

Our highest individual recognition award celebrates colleagues who have made an exceptional contribution throughout the year and delivered significant impact against our Vision for Sport and the University's strategic ambitions.

This year, two colleagues overwhelmingly topped the peer voting process and were named our 2025/26 Team Members of the Year.

Nadine Doble

Nadine has consistently received outstanding feedback throughout the year and is widely recognised as one of the department’s most influential and valued team members. She continually goes above and beyond in her role, creates a positive and supportive culture, and brings people together through her communication, enthusiasm and collaborative approach. Her impact extends across the wider University, where she is frequently praised for both the quality of her work and her contribution to raising the profile of Sport and Recreation.

After receiving her Team Member of the Year award, Nadine said:

"I was genuinely surprised and honoured to receive the Team Member of the Year award. It means so much to be recognised for my work and the events I've had the opportunity to lead this year, especially as it's been such a busy one for us all!

Between April 26 and June 26, I led on the Students vs Alumni Cup, the Staff vs Students Charity Football Match, Varsity, and Staff Sports Day. It was definitely a challenge at times, but seeing the events come together and the fantastic engagement from everyone involved made all the hard work worthwhile.

That said, I really couldn't do what I do without the incredible Sport and Recreation team. One of the things I love most about working here is seeing everyone come together, support one another, and go above and beyond to make our events a success. I'm so proud to be part of such a hardworking and supportive team. I also want to thank my manager, Bryn, for his constant encouragement and support.

What makes this award even more special is knowing that it came from the colleagues I work alongside every day. Their support, encouragement, and friendship mean a great deal to me, so I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me, as it means so much!"

I was genuinely surprised and honoured to receive the Team Member of the Year award. It means so much to be recognised for my work and the events I've had the opportunity to lead this year, especially as it's been such a busy one for us all!

What makes this award even more special is knowing that it came from the colleagues I work alongside every day. Their support, encouragement, and friendship mean a great deal to me, so I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me, as it means so much!

Nadine Doble, Sports Events Officer

Abraham Hernandez Zaidi

Abraham has been instrumental in supporting colleagues and driving continuous improvement across the department. He consistently delivers exceptional standards while helping to solve challenges, improve processes and strengthen reporting, systems and data insights. His commitment to supporting others, identifying solutions and enhancing the effectiveness of our operation has made him a critical contributor to the department’s success.

In reaction to his award, Abraham said:
"I’m truly honoured to receive this award. It means a great deal to have my contribution recognised, and I’m grateful to work alongside such a supportive and dedicated team. I feel very aware that there are many others within the team who are equally deserving of this recognition, and I feel fortunate to be considered among them.

I am also thankful for being given the freedom and opportunity to explore, learn, experiment, refine, and collaborate with colleagues and the end users we support, which has brought me to this point, as well as to my managers for their ongoing support and for providing everything I needed to make this possible. This recognition motivates me to continue improving our services and making a positive difference. I look forward to continuing to help make our workplace even better through improved systems and processes."

I’m truly honoured to receive this award. This recognition motivates me to continue improving our services and making a positive difference. I look forward to continuing to help make our workplace even better through improved systems and processes.

Abraham Hernandez Zaidi, Sports Systems and Sales Coordinator

Outstanding Performance Award winners 2025/26

In addition to the Team Member of the Year, our Outstanding Performance Award is presented every six months to individuals who deliver excellence over a sustained period. This award recognises staff who:

Consistently go above and beyond their job description
Handle challenges with exceptional care and skill
Support the delivery of services in meaningful and lasting ways

We’re excited to celebrate two outstanding colleagues for May 2026: Jordan Bradshaw and Lucy Kafourous-Smith, and three outstanding colleagues for December 2025: Laura O'Hara, Berri Hankova and Sarah Taylor.

May 2026

Jordan Bradshaw

Jordan’s award recognised her continued development, innovation and impact on student experience. She led a complete redesign of club committee recruitment, transforming a longstanding process into a modern, high-quality recruitment and selection experience that enhanced student employability and engagement. She has also played a key role in supporting wider projects and events that deliver life-changing experiences for students.

Lucy Kafourous-Smith

Lucy was recognised for her exceptional commitment and impact within the Health and Fitness team. Alongside designing and delivering new fitness courses that have been extremely popular with customers, Lucy has stepped up to support key operational areas, maintaining service standards and delivering outstanding customer care. Her resilience, professionalism, and positive attitude have made a significant contribution to the team's success.

December 2025

Laura O'Hara

Laura was recognised for consistently delivering exceptional customer service over many years. Regularly praised by customers and colleagues alike, she has become synonymous with professionalism, friendliness and outstanding support, helping to create both an exceptional customer experience and a positive team culture.

Berri Hankova

Berri was recognised for her consistently excellent communications and highly effective work behind the scenes. Her leadership of the annual customer survey contributed to the highest response rate achieved in over a decade, while her calm, efficient and collaborative approach continues to make a significant impact across the department.

Sarah Taylor

Sarah was recognised for her outstanding leadership in navigating operational challenges, staffing pressures and change, whilst maintaining an unwavering focus on student experience. Her work has contributed to high levels of participation, membership growth and sporting performance, helping to position Portsmouth’s club sport offer among the strongest in the sector.

Delivery Excellence winners 2025/26

This award is presented bi-monthly to individuals who consistently go above and beyond in delivering or supporting an area of work or service. These staff members demonstrate outstanding commitment, reliability, and impact in their roles, helping raise the standard of service across Sport and Recreation.

October 2025 - April Yeates

April Yeates was recognised for her outstanding commitment, adaptability and team spirit. She consistently demonstrated a proactive approach, willingly taking on new challenges and responsibilities while maintaining high professional standards. During the summer, she played a key role in supporting the gym refurbishment and lifting area upgrade, helping to manage customer expectations and contribute to the creation of an enhanced fitness environment. April also worked proactively with the marketing team to increase promotion of fitness courses and developed a framework to showcase inspiring member stories, helping to raise the profile of Ravelin Sports Centre and strengthen customer engagement.

February 2026 - Paul Reid

Paul Reid received this award for his exceptional dedication, leadership and commitment to improving our operations. He successfully delivered multiple courses at Ravelin Sports Centre, including leading the department’s first in-house NPLQ courses, receiving excellent feedback from participants and helping to reduce external training costs. Paul also led the recertification of swim teachers’ NRASTC qualifications, increasing operational flexibility and strengthening the capability of the wider team. His initiative and high-quality delivery made a significant positive impact across the service.

April 2026 - Barbara Thoma

Barbara Thoma was recognised for her significant contribution within her Senior Operations role. Barbara demonstrated exceptional ownership of key responsibilities, driving improvements in efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining high standards across all areas of her work. Her proactive approach, willingness to support colleagues and ability to manage challenging situations with professionalism and resilience have made her a highly valued member of the team.

Our Sport and Recreation Reward & Recognition Scheme continues to play an important role in celebrating the exceptional people who make our service such a success. Throughout 2025/26, we have recognised colleagues who have demonstrated outstanding commitment, innovation, leadership and teamwork, all while delivering exceptional experiences for our students, staff, members and wider community.

This year’s awards highlight the breadth of talent across our department, from colleagues driving continuous improvement and operational excellence, to those creating positive cultures, delivering outstanding customer service and making a lasting strategic impact. We are delighted to see Nadine Doble and Abraham Hernandez Zaidi recognised as our Team Members of the Year, a reflection of the incredible contribution both have made across the department throughout the year.

Our peer-nominated Awards continue to showcase the many different ways excellence is demonstrated across Sport and Recreation. Every nomination tells a story of dedication, impact and teamwork, and it remains one of the most valuable aspects of our culture to see colleagues recognising and celebrating each other's achievements.

Congratulations to all those who have been nominated or received an award this year. Thank you for the passion, professionalism and commitment you bring to our team every day

Paul Tilley, Director of Sport and Recreation

To all of our winners: congratulations and thank you. The work recognised on this page has made a real difference to our students, our members and to each other, and it's all the more meaningful for having been celebrated by your own colleagues.

While these colleagues have been recognised through this year's awards, the strength of Sport and Recreation comes from the collective contribution of our entire team. Every day, colleagues across our service demonstrate dedication, professionalism and a shared commitment to delivering outstanding experiences for our students, staff and community.