Aspiring athletes in Taunton and Wellington are being given a new opportunity to advance their sporting careers.
Everyone Active's Sporting Champions scheme is relaunching this month for the ninth consecutive year.
The initiative provides up-and-coming sportspeople with access to state-of-the-art training facilities and mentoring support from Olympians and Paralympians.
Since its inception in 2016, the scheme has assisted more than 6,000 athletes.
It provides these individuals with free access to Everyone Active's 240-plus leisure centres nationwide, including Blackbrook Leisure Centre & Spa, Wellsprings Leisure Centre, Taunton Swimming Pool, Wellington Sports Centre and Vivary Golf & Adventure Centre, which are run in partnership with Somerset Council.
A local athlete who has benefitted from the scheme is Wellington runner Kirstie Booth.
Kirstie, 47, said: "Having access to Wellington Sports Centre through the Everyone Active Sporting Champions scheme has enabled me to focus on my strength programme for my 2025 1500m athletics goals.
"Having broken my foot at the start of last season, using Everyone Active facilities has enabled me to cross-train and focus on my strength before I return to 1500m specific training.
"After breaking the W45 road mile record in 2024, my 2025 goals are to improve my performance times in the 5k, 1500m and steeplechase, race at the British Championships, Loughborough International and the Masters European Championships."
Olympic silver medallist and former world record holder Colin Jackson will return as the scheme’s ambassador for 2025-2026.
He will work alongside a line-up of elite athletes who have starred on the Olympic and Paralympic stage – Lauren Steadman, Lutalo Muhammad, Richard Kilty, Maisie Summers-Newton and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – in mentoring sessions throughout the year.
These sporting heroes will offer wisdom, guidance and expert advice, guiding rising athletes through every milestone of their sporting journeys.
Colin said: "After a summer of monumental success in 2024, I am more excited than ever to support athletes of all ages and from all disciplines to achieve their dreams.
"I'm passionate about nurturing young talent and the Sporting Champions scheme goes above and beyond in this mission."
Last summer, the scheme supported 26 Sporting Champions who competed in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, achieving nine gold, six silver and eight bronze medals.
An impressive 14 of these athletes made their debuts at Paris 2024, coming home with 11 medals between them.
Over the past eight years, the Sporting Champions scheme has invested more than £2million into young athletes, demonstrating its commitment to grassroots sporting excellence.
Applications for the scheme are currently open and will close on Tuesday, March 11.
For more information on how to apply, visit easportingchampions.com or follow @easportingchamps on Instagram.
Mark Washington, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: "We are delighted to support up-and-coming athletes from Taunton and Wellington on their journey to success.
"As a leisure provider working in partnership with Somerset Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sections of the community to ensure all budding athletes have access to the same facilities and opportunities.
"The Sporting Champions scheme has supported thousands of athletes over the years, and we are proud to be continuing this again in 2025.
"We hope to continue making a real difference to our athletes’ success."
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