Brighton's Wendy Russell admitted she had to pinch herself in amazement after picking up a top prize at the star-studded 2015 UK Coaching Awards.

Russell won the Disability Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday evening, rubbing shoulders with the great and the good of British coaching at the iconic Midland Hotel in Manchester.

The 39-year-old hockey coach was singled out for praise by the judging panel for her work in revolutionizing the way deaf or hard of hearing young people take part in hockey.

As well as helping to progress disability hockey at her Brighton & Hove Hockey Club, Russell has also created hockey-specific sign language which will be used across the country after being rolled out by UK Deaf Sport, the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) and England Hockey.

And after her hard work and dedication was rewarded as she beat two other nominees to the award, Russell, who balances her time with working as a PE teacher at Steyning Grammar School, was struggling to take it all in.

“I'm overwhelmed, I didn't think I would win it compared to the other people because there is a huge network involved in disability sport and I am just a small part of that,” she said.

“It's fantastic being here at the UK Coaching awards. There are a wealth of coaches out there getting recognised for their silent work behind the scenes and it's great for them to get that recognition."

“I do what I love, I enjoy coaching whatever group I have got whether that is the disability group I have got or adult ladies."

“I started this project because there wasn't a chance for deaf kids to play hockey in my county, they could only play cricket or football."

“The smile on their faces when they arrive and go and when it's raining and sleeting and they still turn up with a smile on their face is what makes it worthwhile. Those moments make you want to keep going.”

The UK Coaching Awards honour sports coaches and coaching organisations who have demonstrated outstanding success over the previous 12 months.

Previous winners at the UK Coaching Awards include Jessica Ennis-Hill’s mentor Toni Minichiello and Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, and Russell insisted it was an honour to follow in such illustrious footsteps.

“I think it's fantastic to have this evening because the volunteer coaches around the country are the unsung heroes,” she added.

“The athletes get on TV and the accolades but there is a huge workforce behind them."

“There is a long list of people who have won awards here and it’s great to be able to join them.”

The UK Coaching Awards 2015, hosted by sports coach UK is a chance to recognise excellent coaching and coaching organisations that have achieved outstanding success over the past 12 months. For more information visit:www.sportscoachuk.org