Fifteen Regional Winners Vie for BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero Award

Fifteen regional winners are competing for the title of 2024 BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero of the Year. This accolade acknowledges outstanding volunteers in sports whose daily contributions significantly impact communities throughout the UK. The ultimate recipient will be revealed during the Sports Personality of the Year show, scheduled for Tuesday, 17 December, airing live at 19:00 GMT on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Last year, Des Smith, who chairs the Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club, received this award. The regional winners for 2024 include Moon Mughis (Scotland), Liam Mackay (Wales), Rachel Reid (Northern Ireland), Samra Said (London), Jean Paton (South), Ian Bennett (South West), Adam Kenyon (South East), George Sullivan (East), Stewart Nubley (East Midlands), Asha Rage (West Midlands), Bob Purcell (West), Paul McIntyre (North West), Keith Grainge (Yorkshire), Kristen Ingraham-Morgan (East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire), and Stephen Newton (North East & Cumbria). **Scotland Unsung Hero 2024 – Moon Mughis** Moon Mughis, a coach at East Kilbride Cricket Club, initiated the establishment of a women’s and girls’ section to enhance inclusivity, after her daughter was the sole female player at the club in 2018. Within a year, the club had sufficient participants to form a soft-ball team, which subsequently won a Cricket Scotland indoor tournament for women. Moon achieved recognition as the first Muslim and Asian woman in Scotland to qualify as an ECB Level 2 cricket coach. Her club currently fields teams in the hard-ball Cricket Scotland Women’s Premier League. **Wales Unsung Hero 2024 – Liam Mackay** Liam Mackay established the Caerau Ely mini and junior rugby club in Cardiff in 2018. He collaborates with the local foodbank, which visits the club on Sunday mornings to provide breakfast for children who may have missed it at home. The club’s attendance has expanded to over 200 members. Liam ensures that participants can engage in sport without financial burden, additionally providing a boot bank to guarantee everyone has the necessary equipment. **Northern Ireland Unsung Hero 2024 – Rachel Reid** Rachel Reid serves as the head coach for Lagan Dragons, Northern Ireland’s inaugural dragon boat club for individuals impacted by breast cancer, either directly or indirectly. Beyond dedicating extensive hours to organizing squad structures, training coaches, paddlers, and helms, and managing equipment at her own cost, Rachel has cultivated a secure, encouraging, and positive environment where almost 100 members have discovered a sense of community, resilience, and direction. **London Unsung Hero 2024 – Samra Said** Samra Said holds the position of chair for Cycle Sisters, an acclaimed charity dedicated to inspiring and empowering Muslim women to cycle. The organization now operates throughout London, boasting a network of over 1,500 women and 100 volunteer ride leaders. Samra established a new Cycle Sisters group in Hounslow, contributing numerous volunteer hours to the group by coordinating other volunteers, conducting risk assessments for routes, and overseeing volunteer management. She has also been instrumental in the success of Cycle Sisters, which now has over 300 members and conducts regular rides twice weekly, consistently addressing the needs of the women it supports. **South Unsung Hero 2024 – Jean Paton** At 90 years old, Jean Paton stands as one of the most committed volunteers at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington, Hampshire. For nearly 40 years, she has been a vital component of the club, which is managed by children with assistance from adult volunteers. Jean is a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) dinghy instructor and has participated in all of the club’s ‘Moppy Camps’—RYA-accredited sail training weekends—since their inception two decades ago. Throughout this period, she has undertaken numerous responsibilities, demanding not only sailing proficiency but also leadership skills and the capacity to instill confidence in young sailors. **South West Unsung Hero 2024 – Ian Bennett** Ian Bennett, a surf instructor in Croyde Bay, North Devon, is recognized as a pioneer in adaptive surfing for both children and adults. Ian mobilizes a large group of volunteers through the Wave Project and has collaborated with surfboard manufacturers to develop an adaptive board, enabling surfers to sit upright while he or another volunteer guides the board from the rear. Additionally, he secured funding and partnered closely with the local council to facilitate the construction of the UK’s first beachside changing room for wheelchair users last year. **South East Unsung Hero 2024 – Adam Kenyon** Adam Kenyon, a teacher at Sittingbourne Community College, serves as the head coach of Sittingbourne Community College Archers (SCCA). He operates the club based on a fundamental principle of inclusivity, welcoming and coaching all individuals interested in shooting, irrespective of any physical or learning difficulty or mental health challenge. He has secured corporate sponsorships to guarantee that all members possess the necessary equipment, and has also procured materials and constructed a permanent indoor range wall for the school. Adam frequently escorts members to junior national championships and arranges consistent activities that involve parents, the broader school community, and engagement with primary feeder schools. **East Unsung Hero 2024 – George Sullivan** George Sullivan, who is severely sight impaired, volunteers with the Royal National Institute of Blind People Community Connection Team for East England. He is also a See Sport Differently Champion and chairs a newly formed goalball team at Chelmsford Goalball Club. George is deeply engaged in participating in and advocating for visually impaired sports, has championed efforts to enhance the accessibility of mainstream sports, and actively assists other blind and partially sighted individuals in sports participation. Recently, he led a successful campaign to implement audio description commentary at all Arsenal Women’s matches and is currently establishing a showdown club—a sport resembling table tennis and ice hockey for visually impaired people—in Cambridge. **East Midlands Unsung Hero 2024 – Stewart Nubley** Stewart Nubley is the co-founder of Ashfield Spartans Boxing Academy, a community club that has been instrumental in transforming the lives of young individuals through boxing, mentoring, and community outreach. The academy offers programs that enable people with disabilities and mental health challenges to participate in physical activity, develop self-assurance, and experience belonging within a supportive community. Despite enduring personal difficulties, including a severe cardiac arrest, Stewart committed himself to further contributing to his community, making a notable impact on those susceptible to criminal behavior. **West Midlands Unsung Hero 2024 – Asha Rage** Asha Rage, a football coach, leverages the sport to deter young people from gang violence and foster community connections. In 2016, she established Dream Chasers FC, a football team in Small Heath, which now sees over 160 youngsters training weekly, with Asha actively encouraging more Muslim girls to participate. A daily youth club hosts ‘Coffee with a Coppa’ sessions, facilitating stronger relationships between the community and local police officers, and providing a relaxed environment for discussing potential concerns. Additional initiatives include Street Watch walks, litter collections, English lessons for migrant parents, dance classes for women, and healing paint workshops aimed at supporting mental health and wellbeing. **West Unsung Hero 2024 – Bob Purcell** Bob Purcell is a volunteer athletics coach at Gloucester Athletics Club, specializing in disability athletics, including wheelchair racing and frame running. He dedicates his weekends to the tracks, regardless of weather conditions. When the club’s track deteriorated and lacked floodlights, Bob coached athletes during winter using the illumination from car headlights positioned on the field. He led the creation of a charity, Gloucester Athletics Track Management, which assumed responsibility for the track’s upkeep from the local council. He undertook extensive efforts, coordinating with the council, Members of Parliament, and various local businesses to secure the necessary funding for repairs and to guarantee the track’s long-term viability. **North West Unsung Hero 2024 – Paul McIntyre** Paul McIntyre established Nantwich Triathlon Club in 2001, demonstrating a profound commitment to fostering community involvement in grassroots sports, aiming to facilitate and accommodate participation as broadly as possible. Paul initiated The Dabbers Dash, a community run serving a dual objective. Initially conceived to illustrate to the local council the necessity of completing a perimeter path around a local park for safe exercise, the event now invites local charities to begin and conclude the Dash, promoting community interaction and directing attention to local services lacking marketing budgets. **Yorkshire Unsung Hero 2024 – Keith Grainge** Keith Grainge, an 83-year-old widower from North Yorkshire, discovered pickleball as a method to maintain fitness following the Covid lockdowns and promptly recognized the importance of sharing the sport’s advantages. Throughout 2023, he introduced pickleball across York, now engaging over 300 participants in more than 20 sessions held at six distinct locations. Keith launched the club using his personal funds and dedicates numerous hours each week to conducting sessions. **East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Unsung Hero 2024 – Kristen Ingraham-Morgan** Kristen Ingraham-Morgan, a full-time CrossFit trainer, is the founder of Strong Girls Squad (SGS), a voluntary sports and craft club that educates girls aged 11-18 on strength training through holiday camps and in-school workshops. Kristen’s objective is to empower girls to feel strong, both mentally and physically, by instructing them in strength training within a female-led setting. The camps offer hot nutritious lunches, enrichment activities, and chances for the girls to interact with numerous inspiring women. SGS also operates a ‘take one thing they want and one thing they need’ initiative, providing period products, sports clothing, lifting shoes, bras, and hygiene products to the girls. **North East & Cumbria Unsung Hero 2024 – Stephen Newton** Stephen Newton is the primary catalyst for disability-inclusive cycling at Stockton Wheelers Cycling Club. Over the last three years, he has established an inviting and accessible environment for disabled cyclists. In the past 12 months, his endeavors have significantly improved the lives of many through the Limitless programme, British Cycling’s initiative designed to eliminate obstacles for disabled individuals in sport. Inclusive cycling sessions at Stockton Wheelers have expanded to accommodate 20-25 riders, with a high rate of returning participants.