The winner of the Scottish ClubSport Service to Sport award, sponsored by Forsyths is Karen Kelly. The award was presented by Clydesdale Sports Council to recognise Karen`s long standing commitment and efforts towards community and club sport.
This years recipient of the Scottish ClubSport Service to Sport award, sponsored by Forsyths is Karen Kelly.
Extract from the awards presentation:
This year the Sports Council is recognising an outstanding individual who has both served her sport and our community with tremendous dedication for decades.
The award goes to a woman who has dedicated her life to Swimming.
She has been truly committed to the sport and one club within Clydesdale for over fifty years.
She’s an inspirational Individual, who has dedicated and committed her time, her love and her passion to Lanark Amateur Swimming Club.
Tonight, the Sports Council would like to honour and celebrate that inspiring dedication.
She first joined the club as a swimmer in 1973, at only ten years old.
She really enjoyed her time as a swimmer at the club, but after only four years, she started to help with some coaching, trying to help and develop others.
The following year she completed her official coaching qualifications and moved into the role seamlessly.
It’s a role she’s now held within the Club for over forty years – a remarkable commitment that sees her helping and educating others to enable them to become the very best they can be.
Due to her outstanding expertise, she was appointed Team Manager of the Scottish Swim Team, in 1990, and held the position until 2001. Leading and coaching the team across multiple Championships in countries like France, China, Italy and Hong Kong.
She had the honour to be appointed Head Coach of the Lanarkshire Swimming Team, for the International Children’s Games in 2011.
1,300 young athletes and hundreds of coaches across a variety of sports and countries, took part in tremendous celebration of sport, held in Lanarkshire, and our winner tonight was extremely proud to play her part.
There have been so many outstanding performances from her swimmers over the years, with numerous swimmers winning District, Scottish Age Group and Scottish Schools Championships.
Just to highlight a few tremendous achievements:
In 2011, Jack McComish won a Bronze at the World Deaf Championships in Portugal, in the 100m Breaststroke.
In 2017, at the Scottish Age Group Championships, Mark Ford broke the British Record for 50m Backstroke.
One of her current swimmers, Evi Mackie, has won multiple National titles, and is a member of the Scottish National Youth Squad, and has twice represented the Youth Team in Geneva.
Our winner was awarded the B.E.M. in the 2025 New Years Honours List, in recognition of her life of volunteering and commitment to swimming. A worthy recipient of a fine honour.
Everyone at the club thinks the world of her and can’t thank her enough for everything he has done for decades and has continued to do for the club, the community, and for swimming.
Unfortunately, Karen was unable to be present, as she was coaching at an International event in Edinburgh.
Her proud Mum, Mary, collected the award on her behalf.
The award was presented by Gary Grieve, National Development Manager from Scottish ClubSport.
(Photograph courtesy of John Prior)
