After recent damning headlines it was wonderful to see athletics celebrated at the annual Sussex Sports Awards, which took place at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on Friday.
The evening, hosted by Olympian and 2010 Commonwealth Games Heptathlon Champion Louise Hazel, highlighted sporting successes across the year throughout the county.
Amber Anning (Brighton & Hove AC) won the Chichester University "Young Sports Personality of the Year 2015" award for a season which she ended as the Youth world lead over 300m after setting a European and UK Under 15 record of 38.73 seconds, when winning the National Under 17 title at Bedford.
Anning, is also the UK Age 14 record holder in Triple Jump and ended the season top of the National rankings over 200m, 300m and Triple Jump as well as ranking fourth and fifth in Long Jump and Pentathlon respectively.
Meanwhile her clubmate, hurdler Jamie Lambert, received a "Special Recognition" award.
Jamie went on an expedition to Southern Greenland and raised over £3000 for disabled athletes involved in the Parallel Youth Games 2015.
The talented athlete was inspired after suffering a hip injury last year which left him unable to train for six months.
A special mention also for Crawley's Dave Buckett who was nominated in the "Unsung Hero," category, to Worthing's Jordan Okonto who was up for the "Disabled Sports Personality" award and to Chichester's Jessica Breach who was nominated in the same category as Amber, but for her rugby triumphs.
Breach is in the England U20 squad.