Chesterfield athletes receive financial support

Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games hopefuls across the county are among 128 athletes who have been awarded bursaries totalling £21,575 through Derbyshire Sport’s business network ICON, including 17 individuals from Chesterfield.

Each successful applicant lives in one of Derbyshire’s nine districts or competes for a Derbyshire-based club and must already compete at a high level to qualify.

All are already representing their country or Great Britain, have won a national championship medal, are part of a recognised development squad or a development squad aligned to a professional sports club or have been selected for the Derbyshire Institute of Sport.

They will receive a bursary up to a maximum of £250 to help meet costs such as travel, accommodation, equipment, coaching fees, clothing or competition entry, use of leisure facilities and a boost to their profile through local publicity.

The success of the scheme has been brought into view this summer by Chesterfield’s Liam Pitchford, who won three medals at this summer’s Commonwealth Games having benefited from ICON support.

“ICON really helped me a lot when I was coming through into the national set-up,” said Pitchford, who won two slivers and a bronze in Glasgow.

“It helped me get access to the best practice facilities possible at a time when I didn’t have national governing body funding.”

ICON was set up by Derbyshire Sport as part of the work to create a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games and encourage more links between business and sport.

Each member contributes an annual membership fee, and this money goes directly to athletes through the bursary scheme.

Full list of Chesterfield athletes given bursaries for the 2015 ICON programme:-

•Ryan Aspley (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Jake Aspley (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Isobel Ashley (Table Tennis) from Barrow Hill

•Jade Ashmore (Boxing) from Heath

•Alicia Barrett (Athletics) from Newbold

•Ella Barrett (Athletics) from Newbold

•Jamie Boler (Golf) from Chesterfield

•Bradley Buckland (Tennis) from Brampton

•Jayne Crook (Fencing) from Brimington

•Ashley Davies (Squash) from Chesterfield

•Bron Jenkinson (Diving) from Clowne

•Hannah Lawrence (Fencing) from Manchester and a member of Wingerworth Fencing Club, Chesterfield

•Imogen Morris (Swimming) from Heath

•Liam Pitchford (Table Tennis) from Brimington

•Ameliah Such (Ice Hockey) from Chesterfield

•Morgan Swales (Ice Skating) from Calow

•George Woolgar (Golf) from Tapton

Source:Derbyshire Sport