13 Dec 2012 Last updated at 00:00

Council support for the Isle of Wight's top sporting stars

The Isle of Wight Council's sports unit is supporting the next generation of sporting stars by launching a new 'Talented Athlete' scheme.

The council is making grants of both £200 and £400 available to any local sports men or women who are amongst the best in their field.

In addition to the financial support, Southern Vectis and Wightlink will offer incentives and the council will provide free access to its leisure centres to include use of facilities such as the new state of the art ToneZone gyms.

Categories

There are two categories for sports people to apply in - Elite Performer and Junior Performer.

For the juniors, grants of up to £200 are available, along with the other incentives. To be eligible, the person must meet certain criteria including rankings and be a member of a county squad. They must also be an Isle of Wight resident and aged 16 or under.

For the elite category, grants of up to £400 are available as well as the other incentives. Again, a number of criteria must be met, mainly relating to the ranking in their sport. They must also be part of a national development programme or national team and live on the Island. The elite category is open to any age.

Apply now

Applications are being accepted now until 31 December.

Anyone who is awarded funding will be announced in January.

For more information, and to request an application pack, contact the council's sports unit on (01983) 823818 or email [email protected].

The scheme aims to support top sporting stars and continue the success enjoyed on an international level by many athletes already
The scheme aims to support top sporting stars and continue the success enjoyed on an international level by many athletes already
Factfile
  • The Isle of Wight can boast a number of Olympic medallists including Kelly Sotherton, Louis Attrill and Shirley Robertson.
  • Clyde Purnell from Ryde won gold in the 1908 Olympics as part of the Great Britain football team.
 
Isle of Wight