Staged at the Ricoh Arena, the awards celebrate those across the region who have made a tremendous contribution to sport at all levels and achieved outstanding sporting success.

Twenty-year-old Gilmartin (pictured), a European Championship gold medallist from Solihull, was one of the evening's biggest winners alongside Nuneaton's F400 motorcycle champion Leon Jeacock, from Stockingford, who picked up Sportsman of the Year.

The 22-year-old, who battled back from a serious wrist injury to clinch the title this year, said: "Mid-season I had a bad crash which injured my wrist and I missed four rounds but I came back to finish every race with a win and secure the championship.

"Winning this award is fantastic, it means everything to me.

"It's also about getting gratification from what I have done and the work my family and sponsors have put in.

"It means more than the championship to me.

"It's also recognition for the sport and what people in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire can achieve."

The event, which is organised by Coventry University and sponsored by world renowned organisations including insidethegames, insideworldparasport and insideworldfootball, saw 14 awards presented with Coventry and Warwickshire picking up a total of 12.

Undoubtedly the most touching moment of the evening came when Coundon Court School's Clark McCallum, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 55, was named as PE Teacher of the Year - his wife Lorna and son Clark were presented with the award.

Speaking of his father's work, Clark said: "He had respect for everyone he coached and I think that is what made him who he was.

"He had an ethos of 'the bigger the bottom, the higher the top'.

"The more people playing at grass roots level, then the more people at the top and I think that shows in the number of players who came through his hands and have gone on to play professional rugby and other sports."



McCallum's award marked a good night for Coventry as their other winners included Team of the Year for Elite League ice hockey champions Coventry Blaze, Young Sportswoman of the Year for 12-year-old wheelchair tennis player Charlotte Moore, the Unsung Hero award for wheelchair basketball coaching assistant David Challenor and the Higher Education Sportsperson of the Year award for 20-year-old Coventry University taekwondo expert Jessica Howells.

Warwickshire's winners saw rugby claim victory in four categories with the Lifetime Achievement award going to Rugby Town JFC founder Brian Crinigan, Young Sportsman of the Year for Lawrence Sheriff sailor Hugh Brayshaw, Junior Team of the Year for Lawrence Sheriff's under-16 table tennis team and the Community Sports Award for Positive Futures.

Elsewhere the Sporting Occasion of the Year went to Archery GB for the National Archery Finals held in Jephson Gardens, Leamington in September.

Nuneaton then made it a double success when 18-year-old volleyball enthusiast Rebecca Forrest was named as Young Sports Volunteer of the Year.

The event is managed by a representative group of seven key partner organisations led by Coventry University and including BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games, CSW Sport, Coventry City Council and Coventry PE and School Sport Partnership.

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