Talented athletes in Ashfield are set to gain support as part of a sports talent development programme.

Now in its sixth year, Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme will provide more than 1,000 up-and-coming athletes with free access to more than 200 leisure facilities across the country, including a number of athletes from Ashfield.

Athletes accepted on the scheme in Ashfield this year include Ryan Cowling, a Paralympic gold medallist in wheelchair rugby, and pole vaulter Felicia Miloro, who was fourth in this year’s UK Athletics Indoor Championships.

Alongside free access to Everyone Active centres, which include Lammas Leisure Centre, Hucknall Leisure Centre, Festival Hall Leisure Centre and the upcoming Kirkby Leisure Centre, Sporting Champions will also get the chance to receive valuable mentoring and guidance from some of the UK’s most influential sports stars.

Olympic silver medallist Colin Jackson will continue to support the scheme through his role as an Ambassador. He will be working alongside a newly-appointed panel of Elite athletes to make sport more accessible within local communities.

The line-up of Elite athletes features Olympians and Paralympians including Lutalo Muhammad, Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova, Richard Kilty, Lauren Steadman, Kadeena Cox and Maisie Summers-Newton*, whose experience and expertise will help to support athletes through one-to-one and group mentoring sessions.

Colin Jackson said: “I’m incredibly proud to be involved in a scheme that is so dedicated to supporting athletic talent from grass roots up.

“This year, I’ll be working alongside some truly talented Elite athletes to help rising sports stars reach their goals.

“The Sporting Champions scheme has helped thousands of up-and-coming athletes to achieve their sporting dreams and I can’t wait to see what this year’s intake go on to achieve.”

Sporting Champions will also receive free unlimited access to the Everyone on Demand app, providing them with more than 500,000 at-home workouts from leading fitness brands, including WithU, Flex and Les Mills on Demand.

Lorenzo Clark, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme has been very successful in providing exceptional support to emerging talent and we are delighted to be once again supporting athletes from Ashfield on their journey to success.

“It’s fantastic to see how the scheme has expanded over the years, now providing more than 1,000 athletes nationwide with access to top-quality training facilities and support.

“As a leisure provider working in partnership with Ashfield District Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sections of the community. We hope to continue making a real difference to our athletes’ success and are excited to see what the relaunch of the scheme will bring this year.”

Rachel Madden, Executive Lead Member for Leisure, Health and Wellbeing at Ashfield District Council, said: “It is wonderful that the Sporting Champions scheme can help support the development of some of Ashfield’s rising sporting stars. We look forward to following their progress and hopefully celebrating their future success.”

To find out more about the Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, visit www.easportingchampions.com or follow @easportingchamps on Instagram. For further information on Everyone Active, visit www.everyoneactive.com