AN INSPIRATIONAL coach with the Cheshire Phoenix wheelchair basketball team has received a major accolade.

Anna Jackson, former GB wheelchair basketball player turned coach from Chester, has been identified by the leading body for coaching in Britain, UK Coaching, as one of the community heroes who is helping people keep active during the coronavirus outbreak.

Anna now coaches at Cheshire Phoenix Wheelchair Basketball, based at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village, and Angels of the North.

Anna has publicly spoken about her struggles with mental health and has been sharing her top tips on supporting mental health for the coaching workforce across UK Coaching’s social channels.

She said: “It’s great to be recognised by UK Coaching for the experience and valuable advice I’m able to share around mental health. It is a difficult time for us all but mental wellbeing is more important than ever before.

"As coaches, we need to ensure our participants are keeping well but we should also stop and take time for ourselves.”

Emma Atkins, UK Coaching’s director of coaching, said: “Coaches like Anna are invaluable to our communities.

“We’re living in unprecedented times, where access to space and resources are limited; where parents and guardians are having to undertake the role of both schoolteacher and sports coach.

“We’re privileged to have such brilliant people as part of the nation’s coaching workforce, who are sharing their expertise and advice with others at a time when it is more important than ever to stay physically and mentally active.”

To watch Anna’s videos on maintaining mental wellbeing, visit UK Coaching’s Facebook and Instagram.

To find out more about how UK Coaching supports the coaching workforce, visit www.ukcoaching.org