BRACKNELL’S most promising athletes are being supported to achieve their sporting dreams with help from a local leisure provider.

Everyone Active, which runs Bracknell Leisure Centre and Coral Reef, is providing facilities, support and funding to the borough’s budding stars through its Sporting Champions scheme.

Olympic silver medallist, Colin Jackson CBE, is supporting the initiative through his role as an ambassador, providing both one-to-one and group mentoring opportunities to athletes.

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

“I have seen this scheme continue to grow year-on-year and I think it’s so important that we continue to drive sporting excellence in our country.

“The Everyone Active Sporting Champions scheme has supported hundreds of talented athletes to achieve their sporting dreams and I can’t wait to see what this year’s intake go on to achieve.”

Up-and-coming athletes are offered either gold, silver or bronze levels of support, which allows them to access all of Everyone Active’s 190 facilities, with higher tier athletes receiving funding for training and competition costs too.

Selected athletes include Lilly Emptage, who has been chosen for the European tae kwondo championships for the second year, 110m hurdler Joshua Zeller, who hopes to reach the 2024 Olympic Games, and netball player Suzie Liverseidge, who has also received support through the scheme.

Everyone Active’s contract manager, Mark Tennant, said: “We are delighted to be able to support these local sports stars on their journey to success.

“As a leisure provider working in partnership with the Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sectors of the community.

“The Sporting Champions scheme has already supported a huge number of athletes and I’m proud that we are continuing this again in 2019.

“The scheme has hit the milestone of 1,000 athletes and I hope being part of the scheme makes a real difference to the athletes.”

Since its launch, the Sporting Champions initiative has invested more than £1 million to help athletes achieve success.

High-profile beneficiaries from the scheme include gold medal-winning gymnast Max Whitlock, Team GB hockey captain Alex Danson and para-triathlete racer Jade Jones.