A badminton coach based in Letchworth has been named Grassroots Coach of the Year by Badminton England.

Anna Collis, who runs SMASHIT Sports, won the award in recognition of the coaching she offers to badminton players across North Herts and Bedfordshire.

After starting her business from scratch, the SMASHIT Badminton Club now coaches between 50 and 75 children every week, with adult members too.

The Comet: Anna puts some of her pupils through their paces in a coaching session.Anna puts some of her pupils through their paces in a coaching session. (Image: Anna Collis)

She offers a variety of sessions to cater to players of all ages and ability levels.

After receiving her award at the National Volunteer & Coach Awards last month, Anna said: "Receiving this award was a highlight of my coaching career, it was really nice to be recognised for all the hard work I have done over the last five years since starting SMASHIT.

"I have built SMASHIT up to over 200 members, coaching seven days a week, so to receive this prestigious award makes it all worthwhile.

"I want to make a positive difference to as many people as I can."

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Chris Patten, a parent of one of Anna's pupils, said: “Anna stands out because she has the magical mix of enthusiasm, inspirational leadership, understanding of individual needs and a sheer sense of fun that is contagious!

“Her badminton knowledge is extensive and has resulted in several top class players. My own son has massively improved in the last six months and has reached quarter finals in tournaments already!”

Anna now runs clubs in Letchworth, Hitchin and Biggleswade, and expects SMASHIT to continue to expand.

If you are interested in joining one of her clubs, you can visit SMASHIT's website.