Eighty-six young athletes get SportsAid's support thanks to GLL Sport Foundation

SportsAid is happy to announce today that the GLL Sport Foundation is increasing its support for the charity this year to help 86 of the UK’s brightest prospects in 39 sports.

The athletes compete in a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports as well as cricket, climbing and lacrosse. With most being between the ages of 11 and 18, they represent the very best of the next generation of British athletes.

Among them is wheelchair basketball player Jack Perry from Cambridge who last year won a gold medal with the British team at the under-22 European championships. He says after starting university this year, his travel costs will be his biggest financial burden.

“This will be incredibly helpful for me as I have to make it to training three times a week at a venue over an hour away. At the moment it is especially difficult as I'm a first year university student so my budget is tight, meaning any help towards travel costs is amazing.”

GLL Sport Foundation manager Mark Gliddon said, “GLL are committed to supporting our local communities and talented athletes across the UK and as we have grown as a charitable social enterprise we are delighted to be supporting ever greater numbers of future Olympic and Paralympic stars. Our continued partnership with SportsAid is key to our athlete support programme and we look to furthering this partnership looking towards Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”

In addition to the vital financial support that GLL Sport Foundation is providing to these 86 athletes through SportsAid this year, the charitable social enterprise GLL is offering free gym access to more than a thousand athletes across the UK who are eligible for SportsAid Awards.

SportsAid’s chief executive Tim Lawler added, “GLL and the GLL Sport Foundation make a massive contribution to British sport and we’re proud that they’ve chosen to do so with SportsAid. It means they are giving the right help at the right time. Every athlete has been identified by their sport’s governing body as being in need of financial support this year. We’re also very grateful to GLL for offering all the other athletes SportsAid is supporting this year free access to their Better leisure centres. To them, and us, it makes a big difference.”

The full list of all 86 athletes who are benefiting from the GLL Sport Foundation’s support for SportsAid this year are as follows:

• Aadam Syed (golf) 14 from Hayes in Middlesex
• Acelya Toprak (judo) 16 from Lewisham in London
• Alex Cook (badminton) 15 from Chinnor in Oxfordshire
• Alexis Canter (tennis) 16 from Abingdon in Oxfordshire
• Amaranta Chavez (gymnastics) 13 from Golders Green in London
• Aml Sinclair (fencing) 18 from London
• Amy De Beaux (athletics) 19 from East Horsley in Surrey
• Amy Holder (athletics) 18 from Reading in Berkshire
• Arran Simon (volleyball) 16 from London
• Ashley Archer (disability athletics) 26 from Barnet in London
• Ben Cutmore (diving) 12 from Royston in Inverclyde
• Carl Wheatle (basketball) 17 from Brixton in London
• Charles Page (cycling) 16 from Amersham in Buckinghamshire
• Charlotte Devlin (football) 17 from London
• Chloe Kelly (football) 17 from Southall
• Chris Frost (para triathlon) 43 from Matfield in Kent
• Chris Zahn (rowing) 17 from Woking in Surrey
• Dan Roper (goalball) 24 from Hereford in Herefordshire
• Dimitri Coutya (wheelchair fencing) 17 from London
• Dominic De Almeida (fencing) 16 from London
• Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (basketball) 19 from London
• Dzaier Neil (disability athletics) 57 from London
• Eddie Way (hockey) 16 from Woking in Surrey
• Eden Amsalem (fencing) 16 from London
• Eleanor Piper (archery) 16 from Woking in Surrey
• Emma Adams (lacrosse) 19 from Guildford in Surrey
• Emma Ashman (sailing) 15 from Wantage in Oxfordshire
• Emma Critchley (synchronised swimming) 16 from Faringdon in Oxfordshire
• Esah Hayat (disability tennis) 13 from London
• Ethan Rose (badminton) 12 from Oakley in Buckinghamshire
• Filmon Eyassu (goalball) 27 from Cambridge in Cambridgeshire
• Frederick Pearson (waterpolo) 15 from London
• Georg Mew Jensen (cycling) 15 from London
• George Loffhagen (tennis) 13 from London in Middlesex
• Hannah Jones (cricket) 15 from Aldershot in Hampshire
• Hannah Randall (synchronised swimming) 17 from Aldershot in Surrey
• Harriet Dart (tennis) 18 from London
• Harry Peck (fencing) 18 from Blackheath in London
• Harry Thomas (judo) 12 from Bridgend in Wales
• Isabel Lingard (rowing) 17 from Little Milton in Oxfordshire
• Isabella Dmochowska (fencing) 17 from London
• Isabelle Bushrod (canoeing) 15 from Bridgend in Wales
• Jack Kirby (athletics) 18 from Hayes in London
• Jack Perry (wheelchair basketball) 19 from Cambridge
• James Murrell (rowing) 17 from London
• Jasmine Hacker-Jones (judo) 14 from Bridgend in Wales
• Jenna Dear (football) 18 from Hayes in Middlesex
• Jessica Thornton (cricket) 14 from Bridgend in Wales
• John Munro (sitting volleyball) 42 from London
• Joshua Giles (judo) 16 from Coventry in West Midlands
• Kai Jones (athletics) 18 from Southall in Middlesex
• Kavell Bigby Williams (basketball) 19 from Hackney in London
• Kayla Smith (gymnastics) 14 from Bridgend in Wales
• Lara Hockin (synchronised swimming) 16 from Woking in Surrey
• Laura Perry (goalball) 27 from Hereford in Herefordshire
• Lewis Walker (gymnastics) 18 from Acton in London
• Louis Hampton Jones (weightlifting) 19 from London in Middlesex
• Louisa Piper (archery) 11 from Woking in Surrey
• Madeleine Sweet (diving) 14 from Wimbledon in London
• Maia Bouchier (cricket) 16 from London in Middlesex
• Martin Wrigley (sailing) 18 from Hereford in Hereford and Worcester
• Matthew Robertson (para cycling) 15 from London
• Megan Kealy (gymnastics) 15 from WOKING in Surrey
• Molly Thompson Smith (climbing) 17 from London in Middlesex
• Nam Ahmadi (weightlifting) 20 from London in Middlesex
• Noah Williams (diving) 14 from London
• Noorin Gulam (weightlifting) 19 from Hayes in Middlesex
• Olivia-Mae Cameron (para swimming) 15 from Westhumble in Surrey
• Rachel Jary (cycling) 16 from London
• Raphael Can Hoffelen (fencing) 17 from London
• Rebecca Keating (athletics) 17 from Reading in Berkshire
• Rebecca Sutton (swimming) 13 from Bridgend in Wales
• Rhianna Mae Laing (basketball) 17 from Bradford in West Yorkshire
• Rosalind Wilson (rowing) 17 from Reading in Berkshire
• Sabrina Sinha (athletics) 15 from Blackheath in London
• Sam Dickinson (triathlon) 17 from York in North Yorkshire
• Sarah Leiter (goalball) 24 from Cambridge in Cambridgeshire
• Scarlett Mew Jensen (diving) 13 from London
• Solomon Prempeh (short-track speed skating) 13 from London
• Tania Nadarajah (para archery) 34 from Banstead in Surrey
• Tilly Hooper (athletics) 17 from Pyrford in Surrey
• Tin-Tin Ho (table tennis) 16 from London in Middlesex
• Trevor Thomson (canoeing) 16 from Greenford in Middlesex
• Valerie Copenhagen (disability tennis) 32 from Ruislip in Middlesex
• William Jones (badminton) 14 from London
• Yassine Saidoune (taekwondo) 14 from London