ALMOST 12 months ago Billy Jackson stood on the rostrum at the Lincolnshire Showground's Epic Centre to be announced as the Lincolnshire Sportsman of the Year.

It is an award Jackson now considers in the same bracket as the World Indoor Championship he won at the start of 2009.

The Lincoln Indoor Bowls Club member holds the Lincolnshire Sports Awards in the highest regard because of the relationship they hold with the voting public of the county.

And Jackson maintains how highly important it is for there to be an awards ceremony voicing public opinion.

"The way the award made me feel, the knowledge that people knew what I had achieved in the sport and felt that was enough to vote for me, made it almost as good as the world title I won," said Jackson.

"It's important there are awards that the public can vote for. It gives them a chance to voice their opinions, and they own a voice that sportspeople would like to hear.

"It was a great way to end the year following on from all the success I'd had in 2009. It re-affirms to you that you've done something good in sport and that it's worth continuing to practise."

Past winners of awards at the event include Olympic shooter Lesley Goddard and Olympic swimmer Lizzie Simmonds.

Jackson himself has prospered during 2010 in the aftermath of his Lincolnshire awards, admitting his face is recognised more than ever before in the streets of Lincoln.

And as a leading light in the often overlooked sport of bowls, Jackson is not used to the glitz and glamour of media-swamped sports like football.

But since his win at the Showground last November, Jackson has revelled in the respect of his peers at indoor bowling centres across the country.

"The recognition is great, although it's strange because you're not in control of any attempt to win, it's decided by external factors like the public voters," he said.

"The biggest benefit I had off the back of winning the award was the recognition I had.

"I've had people pointing and saying 'it's Billy Jackson, he won that award,' which is a little novelty I've enjoyed.

"Being Sportsman of the Year for the past 12 months has brought added pressure to when I'm bowling.

"You enter an event and everyone is aware of who you are, and starts listing all the titles you've won. It's a nice kind of pressure, because it means people respect what you have done and respect your abilities."

Smaller sports across the county have always been well represented at the awards. Among last year's winners were participants from table tennis, kayak racing and shooting.

And Jackson admits that the exposure the awards offer the county's smaller sports can prove priceless in keeping participation numbers up and keeping local clubs alive.

"The local ones are brilliant, if it wasn't for the build-up in profile they give to local sport we'd all struggle to survive," said Jackson.

"It's very important that awards like the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership continue, they keep the less mainstream sports afloat."

Jackson admitted 2010 hasn't been his greatest of years and does not hold out much hope for securing Sportsman of the Year for successive terms.

However, the Lincoln-based bowler revealed he would love to attend the ceremony again, because of the "heartening" variation he last witnessed at the event.

"It's the variation of the awards that's great. They shy away from the bigger sports that we see every day and help out the smaller, less recognised sports," he said.

"It's heartening to see so many different age groups present too. You have last year's Lifetime Achievement award winner aged 82 and then the young sportspeople in their teens."