I spent a day filming at the Mary Peters Track for a UTV special feature on 50 years of her Trust
APRIL is the month of Easter, the Masters and, of course, our very own Local Women Sports Awards. Plenty to look forward to! And plenty to look back on following another mammoth month of sporting highs and lows.
I’m not sure how we have gotten here so quickly but we’re into the fourth month of 2025 already and the clocks are on summertime.
Covering the Guinness Six Nations for UTV seems to get busier each year, I think because there is still so much other sport to report on simultaneously.
In March we’ve watched the rise of a star as pentathlete Kate O’Connor won a European bronze and World indoor silver in less than a fortnight.
We’ve also seen Rory McIlroy warm up for the Masters by winning the prestigious Players Championship, the Irish men’s rugby team finish third in the Six Nations despite a really strong start, the women’s Irish team start their campaign in Belfast against France, Linfield win the Sports Direct Premiership with six games to spare, Bangor and Ards upset the odds to reach the Irish Cup semi-finals, Tyrone end their nine year run in Division One of the National League, Northern Ireland draw against Switzerland in their first game of the year, Ulster pick up back to back wins for only the second time this season as they fight for a European Playoff place in the United Rugby Championship and Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Scott receive her MBE. Phew!
That’s plenty to keep us going but my highlight of the month was celebrating 50 years of the Mary Peters Trust with our very own Queen of Sport.
Lady Mary was given a special reception in Belfast City Hall to mark the Golden Jubilee year of the Trust. Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Andrew McCormick, hosted the night in the iconic venue to launch a year of celebration. The City Hall was lit up in the Trust colours of blue and gold for the night and past and present athletes joined the special evening to mark half a century of dedication to deliver opportunities for our local talent to get the best chance for future success.
The Mary Peters Trust has helped thousands of athletes starting off, the likes of Rory McIlroy, Rhys McClenaghan, Hannah Scott, Carl Frampton, and indeed all seven of our Olympic medalists from Paris were funded by the Trust when they were starting out.
Along with a quick dance lesson following his success on Dancing with the Stars, Rhys McClenaghan thanked Lady Mary publicly on the night saying to have her backing early in his career meant everything to him, not just from a financial point of view but, to know that she believed in him, helped him believe in himself. That worked out pretty well for the Pommel Horse King and he’s now working towards back to back gold medals in Los Angeles at the 2027 Olympic Games.
That shows just how much of a physiological impact Lady Mary’s backing has on our local athletes. She continues to hand out bursary awards each year to those early in their sporting careers and we see the impact on a daily basis as they thrive in their sport.
For this special year ahead there are a few events planned to raise money for the Trust, including the Corporate Games in May, a day of fun that turns very competitive very quickly! It’s at the Mary Peters Track on May 30. Teams of up to eight can enter, if you and your work colleagues fancy a bonding day outside of the office.
Another highlight on the calendar is the Sport Inspires Christmas Lunch. This year it is on November 21 at the Europa Hotel. It’s a day to get in the festive spirit and hear from top sporting stars.
There’s also our own Local Women Sports Awards at the Europa on Saturday, April 26, the biggest annual gathering of local female sporting talent and their supporters under one roof.
Places are being snapped up fast, so book your place now by calling the ticket hotline on 07593 074190.
I had the privilege of spending the day with Lady Mary recently for a UTV report about this year’s milestone and her 50 year mission to help others. She showed me around the amazing memorabilia in her house and we visited her statue at the Mary Peters Track. Keep an eye out for the special report on UTV Live at 6 in the coming weeks.
With Olympic gold medal gymnast Rhys McClenaghan at launch of the Mary Peters Trust 50th anniversary year in Belfast City Hall
Reporting from Ireland rugby camp during the Six Nations
