Sarah Binding of Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership and Bath Rhythmic Club has been awarded Community Coach of the Year by sportscoachUK at an event recognising the achievements, hard work and dedication of coaches worldwide, from grassroots to elite level.

In line with Sport England’s objectives to raise the profile of coaching across the South West, the prestigious event held on Wednesday 12 December in London recognised the outstanding efforts of individuals, organisations and the community’s ongoing investment to improve coaching.

Jim Clarke, Regional Director of Sport England commented:

“It’s fantastic to see Sarah Binding gaining national recognition for her outstanding contribution to sport as Community Coach of the Year. She is certainly a role model – her achievements are an example of the great work being undertaken across the region to encourage people of all levels to participate in sport.

“More than £4.5million has been invested during the past two years as part of Sport England’s Community Sports Coaching Scheme, with over 300 coaches now employed. We will continue to develop and work with county sports partnerships with the aim to create a more sustainable and professional framework for coaches in the south west,” he said.

Nominated by the Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP), Sarah Binding was recognised for her outstanding contribution to coaching in Somerset, which involves various roles including working as Head Coach at the Bath Rhythmic Club, as a National Judge and as acting Head Coach at the Junior European Team Championships.

Sarah works across the county with gymnasts of all levels. Seen as a mentor in the sport, she is involved with training and tutoring school teachers and has developed a gymnastic programme to meet the national standards, which is used in schools across Somerset. Her work in raising the profile of gymnastics across the region has lead to Sarah establishing two new gymnast clubs in Wells and in Taunton.

The Somerset and Activity Sports Partnership (SASP), which is one of seven County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) in the region, has supported Sarah in her career as a sporting coach by providing a framework for activity and opportunities for coaches to develop their career.

Sport England works closely with the CSPs to improve not only the coaching standards, but to develop an infrastructure for employing and deploying coaches across the south west to ensure the region’s coaching talent is nurtured and supported, leading the way in best practice across the UK.