Otley Advisory Sports Council held its annual Jack Simpson awards evening when Craig Maude, a member of the Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club, was presented with the award for sporting achievement in Biathlons and Triathlons.

Norman Stephens, a long-serving member of Otley Sailing Club, was presented with the award for Service to Sport.

Both recipients were well supported by family, friends and members from their respective clubs.

The new chairman of Otley Advisory Sports Council, Neil O'Brien, introduced the awards evening and then handed over to Dave Robinson, the chairman of the Leeds and Bradford Triathlon Club. He gave a short speech detailing Craig's progress in the sport of triathlons.

Craig was quite a late starter who was inspired by watching Ironman events on television. He was a heavy smoker but managed to kick the habit directly after competing in the Leeds Marathon and then spent the money on a decent mountain bike so he could compete properly.

With lots of training and plenty of determination Craig represented Great Britain in a duathlon in 1996. He then progressed to triathlons and then onto Ironman events. In 1999 he won the Dearne Valley Duathlon which involved a 10km run, then a 60km bike ride and a 5km run to finish.

That year he completed his first Ironman event at Aberfeldy, Scotland, which involved a 2.5-mile swim, 112 miles on a bike and then a marathon distance run to finish off.

This year Craig seems to have 'peaked' as he was the first male veteran in the notoriously tough Yorkshire Dales Triathlon. He swam 1,200m in a cool Semerwater, rode 42 miles from Askrigg over Buttertubs and Garsdale head to Helwith Bridge and then finished off with an 11-mile run up and down Penyghent.

Craig's goals are now to complete the Pool triangle in less than 29 minutes and qualify for the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii.

Despite all the time that must be taken up by his training Craig has still found time to put something back into sports as he helps at The Whartons Running Club and at the PHGS After School Sports Club. He has also raised £2,000 for the BBC Children in Need appeal.

The award for Service to Sport was introduced by Dave Cherry, vice-chairman of OASC. The former commodore of Otley Sailing Club, Bob Kirkwood, then gave a speech detailing Norman's contribution to sailing and more specifically his work with youngsters and the disabled.

Norman has been a member of Otley Sailing Club for over 30 years and during that time he has held many positions within the club. He has also been very supportive to new members to the club and helped many youngsters to become competent sailors.

He has completed many RYA qualifications so that he is now a senior instructor and is the RYA Training Principal at the club.

He and his wife have given up their own holidays to run residential courses for children and inspired many of them to take up the sport of sailing.

But it is for his work with the partially sighted, the physically handicapped and the mentally impaired that Norman Stephens stands out. His tireless enthusiasm for all these children is second to none and his biggest problem with all these handicapped people is getting them out of the boats and going home.

Norman Stephens is a living personification of the 'Sport for all' motto and people like him are unfortunately extremely rare and deserve all the acclaim, encouragement and thanks we can give.