A gymnastics instructor from Belfast has been singled out for her passion for the sport and dedication to inspiring the next generation of coaches. 

Paula Bradshaw, 39, is a coach at Abbey Gymnastics centre where she takes on a multitude of roles from head of staff to running the acrobatic team, as well as the adult programme. 

A mother-of-two, her hands are full away from the gym too, but after being nominated in the Education category for this month’s British Gymnastics Awards, she says helping young people succeed motivates her to keep going. 

“My passion for developing young people has come from how I felt as a young person,” she said. 

“I always felt that adults were in control and sometimes felt I couldn’t be a leader because I should always do what my superiors told me to do. 

“As I’ve grown up, I’ve realised I feel more confident when I know what I’m doing. Everyone has the ability to be a leader regardless of their ability or age. 

“I really want people to understand that they don’t have to wait and can go into coaching as soon as they like."

Now a full-time coach, Bradshaw’s mother first introduced her to the sport in her youth. 

She immediately fell in love and despite possessing a good level of talent as a competitor, Bradshaw believes her shyness may have held her back. 

That did not stop her from becoming an excellent coach and mentor, however, as evidenced by the litany of nominations she received for a British Gymnastics Award this year. 

Recalling when she heard of her nomination, Bradshaw said: “I was at work and had absolutely no idea.

“I had an email to say I’d been shortlisted but I didn’t even know who had nominated me. I had to keep it under wraps until the nominations were online but I was absolutely thrilled.”

The British Gymnastics Awards are community led and about championing those who make the sport an uplifting experience for all, with more nominations than ever before coming in this year.

It is the creativity, dedication and passion from people in the sport that make gymnastics an accessible, inclusive and enjoyable sport for all.

The nominations have been judged by panels made up of British Gymnastics committee members and external panellists from across UK Sport, Gymnova, Milano, Gymaid, Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, Women in Sport, The Include Summit, Sport and Recreation Alliance, The Sport for Development Coalition and GB gymnasts.

Bradshaw is keeping everything crossed ahead of the winners’ announcement later this month, though admits she already feels like she’s won the top prize. 

“I would be absolutely delighted to win but I feel like I’ve won already,” she said.

“The fact that I’ve made such an impact on these young people that they felt they could nominate me is a win in itself. 

“I would be over the moon as I know it’s a big category and a lot of people will have been put forward for it.”

The British Gymnastics Awards celebrate those at the heart of gymnastics who create an uplifting experience for all. British Gymnastics has launched a new vision for a new era of gymnastics, learn more about Leap Without Limits here - https://www.british-gymnastics.org/vision