A WHEELCHAIR basketball coach from Neston has been announced as one of the finalists for this year’s UK Coaching Awards.

The showpiece event, will be held virtually on Thursday, December 3 to honour and reward the work of coaches across the UK.

The annual awards ceremony aims to recognise the contribution coaches make in transforming lives in communities nationwide – especially poignant this year, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fran Evans has been nominated for Young Coach of the Year for her work with both Caernarfon Celts and Cheshire Phoenix Wheelchair Basketball Clubs.

The 21-year-old has been volunteering since the age of 14 and qualified as a tennis coach when she was 16.

She has managed the under 19 Welsh wheelchair basketball team and most recently trained as a Covid officer to allow the Caernarfon club to return.

Speaking about her award nomination, Fran said: "It feels unreal, something I never expected and it's really uplifting considering how this year has been given the current circumstances.

"It makes me really look forward to getting back to coaching and developing my knowledge once the world is a safer place.

“It's such an achievement to be a finalist at the UK Coaching Awards, something I will always be proud of."

UK Coaching’s director of coaching Emma Atkins, added: “The UK Coaching Awards is a true highlight of the year and although December’s event will look slightly different, it is more important than ever to recognise the outstanding contributions of coaches in communities across the country this year.

“Over three million people regularly coach across the UK and I’ve been absolutely blown away with how quickly coaches were able to adapt during the pandemic to continue meeting the needs of their participants, from grassroots to elite level.

“I would like to offer huge congratulations to Fran and all of those who have been nominated for awards. The standard of nominations we received this year was extraordinary, demonstrating the impact that great coaches have had this year.

“Thank you to all our coaches across the UK, and to our finalists. We are all looking forward to celebrating your achievements in December.”

Find out more about all of this year’s finalists and the announcements on booking virtual tickets by heading to ukcoaching.org/coachingawards.