Friday 24th February 2012

187 promising sports performers from Derbyshire have shared more than £40,000 after each being awarded a bursary from Podium, a scheme to help local athletes bidding to reach the top.

Bursaries of between £150 and £400 have been awarded to each athlete from Podium - the new name for the Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund - to help meet training related costs.

The list of athletes includes future Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, and those aiming to compete at future Commonwealth Games.

Some of the athletes already compete for England or Great Britain, while others are part of a recognised national development squad or development squad aligned to a professional sports club.

All of the bursary recipients live in Derbyshire or compete for a Derbyshire-based club, and include sports performers from Chesterfield, Amber Valley, Derby, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, Bolsover, South Derbyshire, Erewash and North East Derbyshire, who between them compete in more than 35 different sports, including athletics, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis and hockey.

Podium is backed by Derbyshire Sport and business scheme ICON, with money raised from the scheme's £300 annual membership fee used to support local athletes through Podium. ICON is part of the work to create a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Games in Derbyshire.

In addition to the bursaries, each of the local authorities in Derbyshire provide the athletes with free access to their leisure centres.

Cllr Carol Hart, Chair of Derbyshire Sport, (left) said: "We are extremely thankful to all the funding partners for supporting local talent through Podium, which would not exist without their help.

"Derbyshire has a great wealth of sporting talent in a wide range of sports, and it is important that this talent is identified and supported.

"Podium aims to help athletes reach their full potential, and those that have received a bursary have told us that the financial assistance really does help, and that the recognition the scheme gives is also a great confidence boost.

"We are delighted to be able to support more local athletes than ever before. We want to see more people from Derbyshire competing on the international stage, and we hope that Podium will help in achieving this and that when athletes do reach their goals, they will be able to reflect positively on their journey and remember that the Derbyshire community recognised their talent and supported them."

Athletes will use their bursaries to help meet training-related costs such as travel, equipment, coaching fees or competition costs.

A list of local athletes who have received a bursary are:

Bolsover

Ashley Clipston (Bowls)
Sophie Baggaley (Football)
Emily-Mae Hall (Golf)
Jack Griffiths (Kickboxing)
Nicky Powell (Rugby Union)

Chesterfield

Nathan Pentin (Athletics)
Theo Hall (Chinese Martial Arts)
Mark Porter (Golf)
Ariarna Thomas (Movement and Dance)
Emma Wheeldon (Shooting)
Ashley Davies (Squash)
Isobel Ashley (Table Tennis)
Liam Pitchford (Table Tennis)

North East Derbyshire

Brian Gratton (Bowls)
James Hardwick (Bowls)
Kim Bent (Cycling)
Adam Morewood (Cycling)
Elliot Beeden (Diving)
Charlotte Dyson (Ice Skating)
Georgia Quinn (Karate)
Emily Walter (Karate)
Jade Hopkinson (Karate)
Tyler Bexton (Netball)
Bradley Wilson-Hunt (Paddlesport)
Jack Parkes (Rugby Union)
Russell Clark (Squash)
Kimberley Bradshaw (Taekwondo)
Gavin Bradshaw (Taekwondo)

A full list of athletes who have received a bursary from Podium for 2012 and more details about each one, can be found on the website at www.derbyshiresport.co.uk/talented_athlete_support

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