Wallsend-based North Tyneside Barbells CIC has beaten competition from across the UK to be named club of the year at the British Weight Lifting Annual Achievement Awards.
As well as winning the Eleiko Club of the Year Award, two North Tyneside Barbells athletes also picked up gongs: Gemma Peregrine was named Optimum Nutrition Masters Lifter of the Year and Josh Hutton won SBD Young Weightlifter of The Year.
British Weight Lifting (BWL) is the national governing body for the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Its Annual Achievement Awards recognise outstanding contributions and efforts from the weightlifting community and celebrate excellence in the sport.
The awards come at a very special time for North Tyneside Barbells, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Steve Sharp, founder and head coach at North Tyneside Barbells, says: “We were up against some fantastic clubs, so it’s a real honour to be named club of the year and put North Tyneside on the British weightlifting map. To be honest, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. When I started the gym 10 years ago, I could never have imagined everything we have achieved. A huge thank-you has to go to all our coaches and members – you make North Tyneside Barbells what it is.”
One of the things that makes North Tyneside Barbells special is its commitment to developing athletes of all ages. Youth development is a key focus for the club and North Tyneside Barbells is the only weightlifting club in the North East with British Weight Lifting Talent Academy status. At the same time, the club also has a thriving community of masters lifters aged 35+.
This ethos is perfectly encapsulated by its two award-winning lifters: 19-year-old Josh Hutton is one of the UK’s most promising young weightlifters, a member of the Junior GB squad and has broken eight British Junior Records in his career so far. Gemma Peregrine competes in the women’s 40-44 age category and is one of the UK’s most successful masters lifters on the national and international stage, winning gold at the 2023 British, European and World Masters Weightlifting Championships.
Steve Sharp says: “Gemma and Josh are brilliant athletes and fantastic role models for the entire community at North Tyneside Barbells. I am absolutely over the moon that they have won such prestigious national awards. At North Tyneside Barbells, we encourage everyone to make the most of their athletic potential regardless of age, and Gemma and Josh are the perfect examples of that.”
In addition to developing high-level athletes like Gemma and Josh, North Tyneside Barbells is a social enterprise and community interest company (CIC). Benefiting the wider North Tyneside community is core to the club’s social mission and it runs a wide range of affordable strength and fitness classes for people of all ages and abilities.
Steve Sharp explains: “At North Tyneside Barbells, we want to be a force in British weightlifting – and a force for good in the community. Our gym motto is ‘strong people build strong societies’. Lifting weights is great for your physical and mental health and I am passionate about inspiring more people in North Tyneside to take up strength training.”
We would also like to thank our main sponsor Quay Timber (Heaton Based Timber Merchant) for their continued support to our club, They Keep our kids kitted out and our safety equipment replaced when needed.