Kent’s double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes scooped a lifetime achievement award at the Pride of Sport Awards.

The athlete from Hildenborough near Tonbridge was presented with the lifetime achievement award for her work on and off the track.

After retiring in 2005, she transferred the dedication and fierce work ethic that made her a double Olympic champion to setting up and running the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, which works with disadvantaged young people throughout the UK.

Holmes will always be remembered for two of the most stunning triumphs in athletics history in a sun-baked Greek summer back in 2004.

What she she has achieved since, though, working tirelessly to transform the life chances of disadvantaged young people through the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, is every bit as inspirational.

The Trust has now worked with more than 300,000 young people, and 70% of people on its flagship Get on Track programme were in employment, education or training by the time they completed it.

Speaking last month after the launch of the campaign to support over 3,750 young people across Kent over the next four years with the help of world-class athlete mentors, Dame Kelly said:

“As a local girl, I’m delighted that we’re going to continue expanding our transformational programmes in Kent to transform the lives of young people who need our support most.

“I’ve seen over the past eight years the truly life changing impact that these programmes have on young lives and I’m really excited that more young people than ever before will benefit from our incredible athlete mentors.”