BOLTON will have eight finalists at tonight's Greater Manchester Sports Awards.

The 18th annual event, staged to recognise and honour the outstanding commitment and achievement made in physical activity and sport across the area, takes place at The Point, Emirates Old Trafford.

All the winners of the Bolton Sports Awards, which were held at the Macron Stadium in September, will be up against the counterparts from the other nine boroughs in Greater Manchester.

The event will be hosted by BBC Radio Manchester presenter, Chelsea Norris.

The finalists representing Bolton tonight are:

Sports Achiever of the Year – cyclist Tim Worthington, who won the National Closed-Road Circuit Championships last year.

Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year – wheelchair rugby player Ayaz Bhuta, who competed at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio and and is targeting a medal at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

Changing Lifestyle Award – Sue Taylor, who, after recovering from breast cancer 12 years ago, had a quadruple bypass following a heart attack last year. After multiple setbacks which slowed down her recovery – including developing a rare infection and a broken wrist – she battled on to complete 10 weeks of rehabilitation.

Volunteer of the Year – Darren Crompton is a football volunteer for Bolton Lads and Girls Club whose commitment has been responsible for three new FA qualified coaches at the club. He has also launched new girls’ football sessions, which are attended by more than 30 girls each week. He is also creating the first youth council in the north of England.

Coach of the Year – Eddy Kavanagh is a level two coach at Sharples and Castle Hill wrestling clubs, a voluntary role he combined with being England the team manager at the Commonwealth Games. His coaching success included his wrestlers winning 10 medals at this year's English Championships, and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal. He recently assisted three volunteers in gaining their level one coaching qualifications, and he coaches in a variety of other venues in the community.

Unsung Hero of the Year – Susan Bingham has been involved in community football for more than 20 years in a variety of roles including coaching, managing, club secretary, FA Charter Standard development officer, executive committee member, stand-in chairperson and kit-washer. She promotes sport as an inclusive activity, is involved in fundraising, sponsorship and recruitment and won a secretary-of-the-year award this year.

School Commitment to PE and Sport – Birtenshaw School's team deliver high quality PE, with each child offered a varied school sports programme, cross-curricular links and provide two hours of physical activity a week including more unusual activities such as rebound therapy, horse riding and outdoor adventure.

Club of the Year – Tri-Rivington UK was set up three years ago and has gone from strength to strength with more than 180 members of all abilities, from those who previously could not swim to Ironmen. Thirty-five members completed the Ironman UK this year, and three have qualified for Great Britain age groups having competed for their country all over the world.