POPULAR Minehead rugby coach Dionne Jones will be rubbing shoulders with the stars of the sporting world next month after being named as BBC Sport's Unsung Hero of the Year for the South West.

Mum-of-four Dionne, 32, was nominated by best friend and women's England rugby team player Danielle 'Nolli' Waterman.

As well as playing for Minehead Barbarians Rugby Club's ladies' team, Dionne also coaches the Under 6s, 7s and 8s tag rugby teams plus the Under 13 and15 girls' sides and trains the Under 10 girls.

She is now in her seventh season as a coach and also manages to find the time to drop into most of the district's local schools to coach rugby to school pupils as well!

But despite her clear dedication to the sport, Dionne said she still could not believe she had been nominated and named as the South West's unsung hero 2013.

"It just doesn't seem real and I don't really get it, to be honest," she said.

"It's just nice to be able to give something back."

Dionne first became involved in the local rugby scene when she was helping to run a gymnastics club at St Michael's First School.

A colleague mentioned tag rugby and she volunteered to have a go at coaching - word spread and she soon found herself being enlisted as a coach at Minehead Rugby Club.

"My son played rugby at the club anyway and I used to go and see these big burly rugby players trying to coach little kids as if they were adults and I thought, hang on, there's got to be a better way to get more out of them," she said.

She currently has around 100 children under her wing, helped by a team of support coaches and volunteers.

She was being featured on last night's BBC Points West news programme after a TV crew spent time in Minehead filming her and her rising young rugby stars.

"When I was given the award at the club, they got all the kids around, there were about 150 of them, 30 coaches and 100 parents and they told me that I was the winner. I just cried, I didn't know what to do with myself.

"I've got to go to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in Leeds in December - but I'm rubbish with famous people as I hardly ever watch any telly.

"I know David Beckham, but that's about it!" she said.

Photo: Steve Guscott