PAUL Burns was honoured for over three decades of dedication to athletics coaching when he was presented with the service to sport accolade at last night’s 2018 Cumbria Sports Awards.

The 68-year-old Barrow & Furness Striders coach has been involved in athletics since the 1960s, when he began a decorated sprinting career which began in the 1960s and ended with him winning the Cumbria veterans 100 metre title in 1989.

After retiring from his competitive role, Burns switched his attention to coaching and his longevity at the Striders is such that he is now coaching children and grandchildren of athletes he previously worked with at the Barrow club.

His coaching career has seen him hold positions beyond the town too, coaching at coaching, regional, national and international level.

Perhaps the most significant of those was being involved with the Great Britain team for people with learning disabilities, being on the staff from 1999 to 2014.

That saw him progress from being sprint and hurdles coach to head coach and team manager.

He was awarded the MBE in 2005 partly due to his work in disability athletics and received the first unsung hero award from the world learning disability sport governing body INAS in 2015.

Alongside coaching, Burns’ role as secretary of what was then Park Vale Striders saw him sit on the Cumbria Amateur Athletics Association committee from 1988 to 1992.

Another role saw him serve as lead organiser and event director for both the European outdoor championships in 2008, which were held in Manchester, and the 2012 world indoor championships.

Outside of athletics, Burns was a keen rugby union and football player, and was speed and conditioning coach at Barrow Rugby League Club between 1992 and 1995.