Twelve up-and-coming athletes from Southwark are being sponsored by the Everyone Active Sporting Champions program, a scheme which supports athletes in order for them to reach their full potential.
The program is now in its third year, and it offers athletes up to £5,000 towards training, equipment, travel and competition costs, as well as access to Everyone Active leisure centres nationwide.
One couple sponsored by the scheme is Paralympic couple Alice and James Luetchford – James is a visually impaired alpine skier, and his wife Alice acts as his official guide.
In 2017, the two were the British Champions in Slalom and Giant Slalom in the B2 classification.
The Sporting Champions program can award athletes with either a bronze, silver, or gold membership level.
Athletes sponsored at the bronze level in Southwark include powerlifter Jessica Goodchild, the 400m athletes Susanna Banjo and Dwayne Cowan, swimmer Andrew Benson, and 100m runner Diani Walker, which provides them access to Everyone Active facilities nationwide, as well as the eight in Southwark.
“It’s fantastic to see such a wealth of upcoming local sporting talent in the area and we are delighted to be supporting these athletes on their journey,” said the Everyone Active Contract Manager Mark Basker.
“Our aim was to support 500 athletes by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and to have achieved this two years early is just fantastic.
“As a leisure provider working in partnership with the council, we feel it is important to cater for all sectors of the community, including emerging talent by reducing the costs required to perform at the highest level,” he continued.
“We hope to continue making a real difference to our athlete’s success.”
More information available here.