Aspiring athletes in Sunderland are set to gain vital support as part of a sports talent development programme.
Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has helped more than 6,000 athletes to achieve their sporting potential by providing free access to state-of-the-art facilities at Everyone Active’s 250-plus leisure sites.
These include Sunderland Aquatic Centre, Raich Carter Sports Centre, Houghton Sports and Wellness Centre, Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis and Wellness Centre, Silksworth Sports Complex and Ski Slope, Washington Leisure Centre and Hetton Community Pool and Wellness Centre.
This year, a record 1,700 athletes have been accepted on the renowned scheme. Among the 28 athletes to secure their places in Sunderland are:
Harry Fraser, a member of the Team GB junior tumbling squad.placeholder image
Harry Fraser, a member of the Team GB junior tumbling squad.
- Anna Nicholson, 31, who won bronze in the F35 shot put at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships and trains at Washington Leisure Centre;
- Harry Fraser, 15, a member of the Team GB junior tumbling squad who was a bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships and trains at Hetton Community Pool and Wellness Centre.
Alongside free access to Everyone Active centres, Sporting Champions will also receive valuable mentoring and guidance from an impressive panel of elite athletes comprising Olympic and Paralympic medallists, world champions and Commonwealth champions.
The scheme’s all-star line-up of top athletes includes Lauren Steadman, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Emma Finucane, Maisie Summers-Newton and Richard Kilty.
Sunderland City Council’s executive director of health, housing and communities, Gerry Taylor, said: “It’s great to see so many talented Sunderland athletes being supported through the Sporting Champions scheme, which will give them the best possible foundation for their sporting careers.”
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