Up-and-coming athletes in Ashfield are being given the opportunity to receive funding from a leisure provider as part of its athletes mentoring scheme.

Everyone Active is urging aspiring sports stars to apply for support as part of its Everyone Active Sporting Champions scheme before Friday, 22nd February.

The scheme, which is entering its fourth year, has helped more than 800 athletes to achieve their sporting potential by offering them access to high-quality training facilities, financial support and expert advice.

All athletes are provided with free access to Everyone Active’s centres across the country, and those on the higher tiers of the programme can also receive a sponsorship grant of up to £5,000 to help towards training and competition costs.

Athletes on the scheme are also given exclusive opportunities to join mentoring sessions led by some of Britain’s most influential sports stars, including Olympic silver medallist Colin Jackson CBE.

Last year, the scheme hosted two sessions across the country, which included talks from industry experts, while Olympic and Paralympic athletes were shared their experiences with upcoming athletes. The programme launched its first awards ceremony to recognise athletes’ achievements throughout the year.

A total of nine awards were given to athletes across regional and national categories.

Everyone Active operates four leisure facilities in partnership with Ashfield District Council and is encouraging local athletes to apply for the scheme.

Paul Dowling, Everyone Active regional director, said: “We are proud to have invested over £500,000 in helping upcoming athletes up and down the country to achieve their goals and continue in their sporting career.

“We have exciting plans for the future of the scheme and I would encourage any athletes from Ashfield who are looking not just for funding but also mentoring for their future sports career to apply for Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme.”

Applicants should visit www.easportingchampions.com/apply-now and fill out an online application form.

Successful athletes will be rewarded based on their current level of success with either bronze sponsorship (free access to Everyone Active centres and use of all facilities), silver sponsorship (free access to Everyone Active centres, plus a sponsorship fee of between £200 and £1,000) or gold sponsorship (free access to Everyone Active centres, plus a sponsorship fee of between £1,000 and £5,000).