Volunteer of the Year 2022

Jess with her award

Jess Canfield was recently presented with Badminton England’s prestigious national award at the All-England tournament in Birmingham in March, the first person from Cornwall to receive such an honour.

Jess, 22, from St Cleer near Liskeard, was nominated by fellow volunteers for all her hard work in making badminton an inclusive sport to as many people in the community as possible. She has been playing badminton since she was 8 years old, and has already made a huge contribution.

Jess plays a key role in running Liskeard Inclusive Badminton Club, which offers coached sessions to children, young people and adults, reaching up to 70 people three times a week, with a satellite club in Launceston. They now also support local league badminton by entering a team to offer more competitive play.

With her fellow coaches, Jess also runs a para badminton/special Olympics session, and set up the first Plymouth Disability Badminton Festival last September, aiming to run similar events in Cornwall in future.

Another string to her bow, is putting on coached sessions for over 55 year olds, to promote and encourage healthy lifestyles.

Not only does Jess volunteer all of the above, but she has recently started Badminton England’s Female Leadership and Performance programme, has joined Cornwall Badminton Association’s committee, and played her first county match this year!

Jess said - “I try to do as much as I can for badminton in the community, and it’s amazing to achieve recognition just for doing what I love”.