A KEEP-fit coach from Ruislip has won the Community Coach of the Year Award for her work during the pandemic supporting the elderly to stay active.

It comes after she was once told she would never walk again.

Alice Tribedi is one of 18 winners honoured at the UK Coaching Awards.

As a professional dancer with a foot injury, Alice was given the withering personal verdict.

Yet, after hard work, training and gaining the right qualifications, she coaches dance/exercise for those from 60, all the way up to 93.

For eight years, she has been running classes tailored specifically for the 60-plus population in her community.

The pandemic forced her to re-invent her classes, moving online and continuing her classes free for several months.

Her coaching focused on flexibility, balance, motor skills and cardiovascular exercise – at the same time as she stayed involved with multiple charities including Swimathon, Race for Life and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Alice said: “Coaching means a sense of community to me. I coach mostly those who are older, up into their 90, and for many they have been on their own throughout the pandemic.

“It was a big challenge getting people from a different generation online. Many of them didn’t have email addresses to begin with.

“One lady told me that, not long before her husband died, he had told her to continue coming to my classes to help her.”

ukcoaching.org