Thursday, 25th September was a night of celebration and pride for the team at ASC Portsmouth, who joined local youth organisations, families, and community leaders at the URBOND Portsmouth Youth Awards held at the Kings Theatre.
The evening was all about recognising the incredible achievements of young people across our city, with awards for leadership and community action to creative talent and personal achievement. Among those celebrated was Sam Hibbs, who took home the URBOND Award for ASF Young Person of the Year. The ASC Portsmouth team were thrilled to join Sam and his family as he received this well-earned recognition for his volunteering efforts and positive impact.
URBOND, a Portsmouth-based charity, continues to make a huge difference through its mission to create opportunities and promote wellbeing among young people. Their programmes are designed to help young people realise their potential—especially those in communities where challenges like crime can limit opportunities.
URBOND brought together organisations including Pompey in the Community, Motiv8 and The Young Creatives (just to name a few) who share a commitment to supporting young people in our waterfront city. Guests enjoyed uplifting performances, inspiring stories, and the chance to connect over a wonderful spread of food and drinks.
Sam was presented his award by Milly, one of ASC Portsmouth’s instructors. Here is what she had to say:
“Sam came to ASC Portsmouth for the first time in April 2024 to participate in the RNSA Youth Crew Beginner Sailing Week funded by Greenwich Hospital. Through this course, Sam fell in love with sailing and the centre. Since then, he has returned to the centre to complete all the youth sailing and windsurfing schemes, become a regular at our youth sailing and windsurfing clubs and spends every spare second of his free time on weekends and school holidays volunteering with us. The children on courses love having Sam with them as they find him very easy to relate to as he has been on the same journey as them. He always bring such positive energy to the centre and he gets super involved in everything thrown his way, including coming in wearing an inflatable shark outfit at one of our themed fancy dress days during summer! Sam is an asset to have at the centre and he truly deserves this recognition. We’re so lucky to have him!”
It was a truly heartwarming evening that highlighted the strength, talent, and promise of Portsmouth’s next generation.
Planning is already underway for the Portsmouth Youth Awards 2026 and we would love to see you there!
by Holly Stewart, ASC Portsmouth
