Nineteen-year-old Kelly Mayhew from Neyland won Welsh Sailing's Coach of the Year Award, in recognition of her remarkable impact in a short time.

Coach of the Year awards normally go to someone with a lifetime of experience, but such is Kelly's contribution to the West Wales club, for both able-bodied and disability sailors, that she claimed the top prize at Welsh Sailing's annual awards.

The ceremony was held at the Big Weekend, a two-day get together for Welsh club sailing representatives at the Plas Menai National Watersports Centre in North Wales, the event being supported by sponsors Gallagher Heath Insurance Services.

"We had an incredible list of nominations and the winners all had incredibly strong cases to take the awards," explained Welsh Sailing chief executive Steven Morgan.

"Kelly is already one of the lead coaches at Neyland in West Wales, helping newcomers learn to sail and also helping club sailors get selected for Welsh regional squads.

"Kelly excels at coaching and working with children with dsiabilities such as deafness, ADHD and cerebral palsy. Within her group of sailors she has a couple of aspiring paralympians.

"Her passion for sailing is infectious and this comes through in her coaching both with young people and adults.

"It was also a privilege to be able to single out some of the people who put in so much work without asking for rewards."

Kelly was delighted to receive the coach of the year award.

"It is great to get this recognition, it is exciting and I am surprised I won because there is such tough competition out there," she said.

"I started sailing my Laser, got too old for the squad, so I started coaching at the club when I was 14, then county coaching when I was 16, now I just float around.

"I am there four days a week for four or five hours a day, first there and last to leave usually. Then there are weekends coaching every now and again.

"When I started coaching a stage two group three years ago there were disability sailors there. Basically we all clicked and they are all in the Welsh squad now, so I am chuffed.

"They are sailing in boats for able-bodied sailors as well, so it is harder for them, but they are getting just as good."

The Big Weekend at Plas Menai saw around 100 members of sailing clubs from all over Wales get a chance to receive some expert advice on all matters including coaching, health and safety, race management and many other subjects from some of the country's top experts.