Latest news with #JohnPratt
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sedgefield water polo team 'dreaming' of winning division one
A men's water polo team will be entering Division One and competing for a place in European competitions after four back to back Sedgefield Water Polo Club will represent their County Durham town and nearby Newton Aycliffe in the top flight of the British Water Polo League from men's team was created in 2021 and started playing at the bottom of the pyramid in Division Five. Team captain John Pratt, who lives in Coxhoe near Durham, said the team had grown up together and began playing water polo through swimming classes. The 26-year-old said: "It has been such a journey, I managed the team when we initially formed and competed in Division Five."I put the team together and then I got involved and played."The dream of playing in the top division was something the group of friends talked about and now they have fulfilled it."We have known each other since we were kids and that helps us," Mr Pratt said."In other parts of the country, water polo is posher but we got into it through swimming lessons," he added. They play at the Newton Aycliffe leisure centre and are the only team in Division One from the north-east of England."We know it is going to be extremely difficult this season and we are putting ourselves in the best position possible," Mr Pratt said, adding: "We have been dreaming of playing in Division One and winning it."Of the 23 team members, 21 grew up within 15 miles of the Sedgefield area and they believe that gives them the team spirit and togetherness to keep finished the last season second in Division Two and earned automatic promotion.A spokesperson for the club said: "The success of the Sedgefield national league team is something that should provide huge pride for everyone in Newton Aycliffe, Sedgefield and the surrounding area."The success of the club is a testament to what can be achieved when like-minded people put their mind to something and stick together when things get tough. "A town the size of Newton Aycliffe with a team in the top division of a British sports league is something that should be celebrated, and Sedgefield will hope to continue to punch above their weight in the coming years." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Irish Independent
03-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Bus service linking Waterford and Cork set to be enhanced
The enhanced route forms part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network. Route 363 and Route 364 will be combined and enhanced to operate ten daily return services between Dungarvan and Tallow and seven daily return services between Dungarvan and Fermoy Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and public holidays, the enhanced route will operate seven daily return services between Dungarvan and Tallow and seven daily return services between Dungarvan and Fermoy. A new route variant will be added to the service called Route 363a, which will provide four daily return services between Dungarvan and Ballyduff Upper from Monday to Saturday. Speaking ahead of the launch, John Pratt, Chairman of TFI Local Link Waterford, welcomed the changes. 'We're very pleased to introduce these service improvements, which represent a real investment in rural transport. 'I want to extend a sincere thanks to the Ballyduff Community Council for their support and input throughout this process. We hope these enhanced services will prove valuable to all users, whether commuting, attending appointments, or simply connecting with their community,' said Mr Pratt.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pratt is new Decatur County Democrat Party chair
GREENSBURG - Last month, John Pratt was named the new chair of the Decatur County Democratic Party. Pratt, a retired history teacher who taught at Greensburg and Decatur County schools, stated that his key initiatives are re-engaging the voter base and fielding candidates for all local races. Pratt chose to take the party chair role because he observed 'the Democratic Party of Decatur County has become more and more non-existent' in recent years, citing several uncontested city and county level races for office. 'Being someone who has taught about democracy, that really doesn't spell democracy too well, if you have one of the two parties not fielding candidates,' he said. 'Do you get better as a political candidate when you run unopposed every single time?' Pratt continued, comparing the need for competitive races to a sports team improving as it faces greater competition. 'I don't think so. Do you hoist that trophy of 'I won' with great exhilaration when you defeated nobody?' According to Pratt, in the past the Decatur County Democratic Party was 'a pretty formidable force' providing 'necessary checks and balances.' His aim is to return the party locally to that force. 'We've got to get back to that,' he said. Pratt's strategy to re-engage the base starts with talking to older Democratic voters and creating events for voters old and new to participate in. 'As an example,' he said, 'once a year, we do a fundraiser: the RFK Dinner. What I'm working on now is trying to get a decent name that would get people excited to come and attend.' Pratt feels his background hosting Chautauqua events locally will be beneficial in getting guest speakers for events. He invites local voters to attend the party's monthly meetings or subscribe to their free newsletter. He's also planning community service projects such as serving meals at the Bread of Life, describing them as 'a great way to help bond the group.' 'I think next year, it will be a window of opportunity,' Pratt said. 'We have a distinct advantage that this is not an election year, so all of this leads into' county elections in 2026. He intends to use the remainder of 2025 to gather information on what voters want and what issues, locally, matter to them. Pratt knows that attracting candidates may not be easy. 'If it was easy, it would have been done by now,' he said. His goal is to find and run candidates, old or new, for the four county council seats and one county commissioner seat in the 2026 mid-terms. The three challenges Pratt sees to fielding candidates are finding the candidates, being able to work with them so they will understand they have a chance, and doing everything he and the party can to support the candidates they get. "Number three is going to be critical, he said. "The more fundraising we do at the local level, that goes back to those local candidates. The more we support the local candidates, the better chance they're going to have.'
