A leading coach from the North West of England, Anna Jackson, has been recognised for her achievements, by being announced as a winner at the 2017 UK Coaching Awards.
Former GB wheelchair basketball star Anna Jackson claimed the title of Disability Coach of the Year.
The showpiece annual event is seen as one of the most prestigious within the coaching community and was held at The Honourable Artillery Company, City of London on Thursday 30 November.
Leading the way in coaching excellence in the North West is former GB wheelchair basketball star Anna Jackson, who holds multiple coaching roles, including: Head coach and founder of Cheshire Phoenix Wheelchair Basketball Club, head coach of Wales’ U19 wheelchair basketball team and head coach of Angels of the North 1st division wheelchair basketball team.
Jackson, from Chester, won over 70 caps for the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team and played at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney.
She works hard to promote all three teams and supports the recruitment of players, coaches and volunteers as well as applying for funding and looking for sponsors. She is also a tutor and runs wheelchair basketball coaching courses to inspire the next generation of coaches.
Anna Jackson, Head Coach of Cheshire Phoenix Wheelchair Basketball Club said:
It’s amazing, I’m in shock. You do all the work for coaching for the love of it, but to be recognised is incredible.
Seeing people develop, no matter how small the development is or gaining more confidence, that’s what gives me a real buzz.”
Mark Gannon, Chief Executive Officer of UK Coaching said:
The 20th Anniversary of the Awards has seen some of the best examples of coaching throughout the nation celebrated. We would like to thank all of the finalists for their incredible services to coaching.
We saw a record number of finalists nominated and our independent judging panel deliberated long and hard to acknowledge the people and organisations that dedicated their time to the development of others through coaching.
Anna has enjoyed long and successful career as an athlete, at the highest levels in her sport, so to see her now coaching and sharing her experiences is fantastic.
Anna’s passion for coaching across three wheelchair basketball teams, whilst tutoring the next group of coaches is truly commendable.”
This year’s event marked the 20th Anniversary of the UK Coaching Awards, which saw an expert judging panel choose their winners from an impressive list of finalists, following a record number of nominations.
The principle of the Awards is to recognise the contribution coaches make in transforming lives across the UK.
