MENTAL health lecturer and 'inspirational' manager of a women's football team Dr Tony Gill has been nominated in this year's Yorkshire Choice Awards.
Dr Gill, who lives in Giggleswick, and who manages Burley Trojans Ladies football team, has dedicated the last 18 years to developing the sport for girls and women in the area.
Through hard work and dedication, he has raised the profile of the sport, making several personal sacrifices along the way to help girls and women aspire to greater things.
Players he has coached over the years say he has on occasions paid subscription fees and bought boots for those who could not afford it.
He also helped one player who was self-harming, spending long hours talking to her and helping her achieve a better quality of life.
“Without Tony I doubt if I would have made it through that dark period," she said.
His non- for profit website tackleit-kickoutstigma.co.uk was set up to help promote mental health awareness.
Dr Gill is also a keen fundraiser, amongst other challenges, cycling from John O' Groats to Land's End to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Manorlands Hospice and The Bradley Lowry Foundation.
On his 58th birthday, during the coronavirus pandemic, he celebrated by cycling 100 miles on a static bike in his garage to raise money for MND and Manorlands, and on his 59th, he walked 200 miles from Lancaster, where he works, to Coventry, again to raise money for charity.
In October he completed the Great North Run with his daughter, 40 years after running it for the first time.
He has also set his football team onto fundraising, challenging them to walk the equivalent of one side of the United States to the other.
During the pandemic, he also helped with the vaccination programme, vaccinating more than 1,000 people.
He said: " I am flattered and humbled to be nominated, there are more worthy people out there than me, it's an honour that people recognise I do things for others but that's just me always trying to help others."
Dr Gill is up against 19 others to be nominated for the inspirational individual of the year.
The awards have been going since 2016 and include several categories, also including independent business of the year, and business man and business woman of the year.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at the home of Leeds United in Elland Road on May 6. It will be a double celebration with 2020's winners also recognised.
Voting closes on March 31. To vote, go to: www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/voteforme
