Talented athletes in the Ashby area are set to gain much-needed 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 North West Leicestershire.

Athletes accepted on the scheme from the county this year include middle-distance runner Melissa Courtney-Bryant, who won bronze in the 1500m at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and skeleton athlete Amelia Coltman, who secured the Europa Cup title in 2019-20.

Alongside free access to Everyone Active centres, Sporting Champions will also get the chance to receive valuable mentoring and guidance from some of the UK's most influential sports stars. 

Ashby Leisure Centre and Lido – run in partnership with North West Leicestershire District Council - is part of the scheme.

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 impressive 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.

James Naylor, 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 Leicestershire 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 local councils in Leicestershire, 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." 

To find out more about the Everyone Active's Sporting Champions scheme, visit HERE or follow @easportingchamps on Instagram. For further information on Everyone Active, click HERE.