Commenting on his award Paul said:

"It is a huge privilege to be receiving this award and I am very grateful to those individuals who have nominated me. It seems strange, during this extraordinary time, to be reflecting on last year and casting my mind back to such a wonderful international season, but the current circumstances, and uncertainty around the future, probably makes me appreciate the highlights of 2019 even more.

I would like to thank a number of people who have contributed so much to the success of the junior team over the past few years, culminating in our unprecedented results in Denmark last July, and I dedicate this award to them. First and foremost, I must thank the athletes, whose performances on the international stage have always made me incredibly proud to be working with such a group of talented and dedicated individuals. Secondly, the Talent Squad coaching staff, who have made such a significant contribution to the programme in recent times. Most are volunteers who give their time freely and willingly to make a difference to the young athletes’ development and, without them, our programme would be much diminished.

I must also here make special mention of my close colleague, Mark Nixon, who is undoubtedly the best technical coach I have had the privilege to work with, and his work with both the squad and the Edinburgh Performance group has been pivotal to our success. Finally, to all the parents and personal, club and regional coaches - you are all irreplaceable cogs in this enormous wheel and without the strong foundations and continuing support you provide, we would not be able to achieve what we have in our sport. Many thanks, everyone!"

England Development Manager Peter Brooke, added:

“Across the country, there is a tremendous amount of hard work and effort done by clubs and volunteers to make orienteering happen. British Orienteering certainly appreciates and recognises all this commitment, time and effort that goes into our sport from all our volunteers.

Paul’s recognition is well deserved for the tremendous amount of hard works he’s put in for the benefit of others.”