A COUPLE who run a Glasgow club for disabled athletes has been named as Britain's unsung sporting heroes.
Husband and wife Ian Mirfin and Janice Eaglesham, right, picked up the prestigious BBC prize live on TV's Sports Personality of the Year award last night.
The pair are the founders, organisers and coaches of The Red Star Athletics Club at Crownpoint in Dennistoun, which opened its doors in 1990.
They won their award for their sheer dedication to coaching people with disabilities, being declared overall winner from 15 regional finalists from across the UK.
Mr Mirfin and Ms Eaglesham were nominated by club member Jamie Cuthbertson, who was blinded in an explosives accident while serving as a Captain with the Royal Engineers.
Mr Cutherbertson said: "The list of achievements gained by the Red Star athletes is too long to catalogue but it includes many, many medal winners and record holders at national, international, world, Para Olympic and Special Olympic level."
The couple, who are from Cambuslang, accepted their award from footballer Michael Owen at the glittering Sports Personality of the Year Award or SPOTY ceremony in Salford – one of the biggest TV events of the year.
They watched as Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish picked up the main SPOTY prize – after becoming the first Briton to win the prestigious green jersey for being the fastest sprinter in this year's Tour de France.
Mr Mirfin, a staff development officer with South Lanarkshire Council, said he felt the trophy amounted to recognition of all those who work in disabled sport.
He said: "I'm a bit shocked and stunned. This is such a fantastic trophy."
Red Star Athletics was named as the team of the year in the Evening Times backed Glasgow Sports Person of the Year Awards in 2001 and was a finalist in the same category in 2005.