Lauren Sturgess has been awarded the Bill McLoughlin price for outstanding contribution and achievement in Sport Rehabilitation. The prize is given to a graduating student who has gone above and beyond during their time at a �Թ��ֳ� accredited undergraduate degree course.

“I’m thrilled to be recognised for this award; it’s the cherry on top of my studies and the enriching experiences I’ve gained. Through those experiences and challenging situations, I’ve developed values and skills I now utilise every day in my graduate Sport Rehabilitator role in a private clinic.” Lauren Sturgess, Sport Rehabilitator.

Lauren was the General Secretary for the UoN Sign Language Society in the second year of her degree, organising a “Medical Signs Masterclass” open to all healthcare courses at Nottingham. The event provided both a CPD opportunity and a chance to spread Deaf awareness, educating Sport Rehab students and healthcare students across Nottingham with the crucial knock-on effect of creating a better, barrier-reduced future for the Deaf community.

“During my time at University, I embodied a “say yes” approach and volunteered at sporting events including the British Transplant Games 2024 and Touch Rugby World Cup 2024. Being part of MDTs taught me valuable skills and approaches. Putting myself out there as a Sport Rehabilitator has made me the practitioner I am today. With each experience and placement, I have grown in confidence and ability to adapt to individual needs.”

As the University of Nottingham Sport Rehabilitation course representative for all 3 years, Lauren was often the only student representative in faculty meetings. The role was challenging but Lauren became a trusted voice with her peers to help resolve problems and feedback actions of the University.  Lauren played a vital role in helping roll out the new course and gathering feedback on the new modules to make immediate beneficial changes and provide future suggestions to improve the course quality.

Lauren’s programme lead stated: Lauren has been an exemplary student sport rehabilitator. Academically Lauren has demonstrated excellence through her diligence and application to learning, developing a range of strategies to develop weaker areas and embraced opportunities to build professional experience.

Lauren has been an active member of the faculty and student body and developed sign language knowledge to provide opportunities for students from different backgrounds while seeking ways to educate them about the sport rehabilitation profession. Her work to increase sporting participation has been commendable, but she has excelled in using sign language to provide access to sport rehabilitation services, giving care to a population in need. Lauren has been an excellent student, voice for students and advocate for others. Richard Moss – Programme Lead, University of Nottingham.

Lauren is now working as a Sport Rehabilitator within a private clinic after graduating with a first-Class Honours degree from the University of Nottingham.