Scott Allen wins 2015 BBC South West Unsung Sporting hero award

A marathon runner who set up his own club after having open heart surgery and having to learn to walk again has won the 2015 BBC South West Unsung Sporting Hero award.

Scott Allen set up Storm Running Club in Plymouth in April and numbers have already reached 300 members.

The club's aim is to get people more active and many of the members had never ran before joining Storm.

"It's absolutely unbelievable," Allen said when he was given the award.

Allen had a pig's valve inserted into his heart after suffering illness and had to learn to walk again after a blood clot in his leg meant he needed 100 staples in it after an operation.

"When you look at Scott's personal journey and the health issues he's had to overcome, it's been absolutely amazing," said Paul Elliott, who nominated Allen for the award.

"He's got his own personal journey that he's on at the moment, but when you see him out on the streets and he's with the runners you can just seen how proud the group makes him."

One of the people he inspired to take up running was Anita Outlaw, who wanted to run a marathon to raise money for a hospice after the death of the grandson.

From having never been running before, Scott and the group managed to get her into shape in just two months as she completed the Bath to Bristol marathon.

"Scott believed in me to help me get across that finish line," she said.

"He instils motivation, but he instils values into this team and it's not just about running, it's about the social aspect and supporting people and I've not seen anyone instil those values into a running club."

Allen will represent the South West at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Belfast later this month after being named ahead of four other South West nominees and will compete to be named the National Unsung Sporting Hero.

"I'm truly honoured to represent these people and the South West," he said.

"I want to thank all the other people that do great things, the other finalists were amazing, so I'm ever so proud and I feel so humble."