Deleece Tapping

Deleece is a PE teacher of 29 years her specialities Athletics, Swimming, Cycling and Hockey, all Olympic disciplines. She rises at a ridiculous hour every day to go swimming before work. Evenings she is coaching at school, the hockey club (life member for 11 years voluntary services to the junior team) or umpiring matches. Free evenings/w/ends are spent cycling, she has raised £3300 on a charity bike ride between John O' Groats and Land's End for Chailey Heritage school . Severe arthritis means that these activities have become harder and more painful for her and she can no longer play at the high levels she used to but giving up will never be an option. At school her achievements have been remarkable considering that the facilities consist of a grass hockey pitch which doubles as a 300 metre running track in the summer, a one quarter size astropitch and no swimming pool. The junior and intermediate athletics team consistently win the county track and field competition often the regional round to represent the SE at the Nationals. Many of the girls represent their county/ region individually at various events and in cross country competitions. The same goes for the Hockey teams she coaches. Deleece is absolutely dedicated to healthy living and exercise she is a shining example to all the young lives she touches every day and forfeits a lot of time she would like to be playing her own sport to coach, umpire and support her pupils, teammates and her own children. She would be so proud to be a torch bearer and is very worthy of this honour.