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Dales athletes share in cash boost

19 April 2010

All eight are also being given free access to Derbyshire Dales District Council’s swimming pools and fitness gyms to help them with their training as they bid to reach the top in their chosen sport.

Wrestlers Katy Colebourne and Jack Lawley, rugby players James Thraves and Thomas Farenden and kickboxer Molly Slifkin have each received a bursary from the Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund, together with hockey player Sophie Hawkins, wushu champion Sam Mak and Taekwondo’s Alison Gartside.

A bursary has been awarded to each of the athletes to help with training and competition costs as they are currently competing for England or Great Britain or have the potential to do so within 18 months.

Derbyshire Dales District Council and other local authorities and businesses, including Derbyshire County Council, give financial support to the Fund, which is managed by Derbyshire Sport.

Cllr David Barker, Chairman of the District of Derbyshire Dales, met the athletes and congratulated them on their successes at the Town Hall in Matlock. Also attending were Cllr Clive Moesby, chair of Derbyshire Sport, and Cllr Judith Twigg from Derbyshire County Council.

World, European and National junior wushu champion Sam Mak said: “It’s tremendous to receive support towards training space and facilities, which can be expensive.”

The Derbyshire Dales athletes are:

Katy Colebourne (Wrestling)

Katy, from Wirksworth, is a member of the GB Junior Squad. The 14-year-old took first place at the Welsh Junior Championships, Scottish Junior Championships and English Junior Championships, and third place at the Kruibeke International in Belgium. She has been selected for the National Talent Squad for Great Britain.

Thomas Farenden (Rugby Union)

Thomas, from Bakewell, is part of the Leicester Tigers Elite Player Development Group and has competed at U15 and U16 level. The 16-year-old is part of the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire & Derbyshire Rugby Football Union U17 squad.

Alison Gartside (Taekwondo)

17-year-old Alison, from Great Longstone, represented Great Britain at the Inter-Continental TKD Festival in Puerto Rico and represented England at International Open ITF competition in Dublin last year. She also competed at the British Black Belt Championships in the adult ladies category, winning a silver for Sparring and bronze for Patterns.

Sophie Hawkins (Hockey)

Sophie, (17), has previously competed for England and last season won four national titles with Belper Hockey Club, Repton School and the Derbyshire U17 girls hockey squad. The teenager from Great Longstone also competed in the Futures Cup for regional squad Mercian Lynx and this season hopes to be selected for the England U18 squad. In January she was part of the Repton School team which were crowned U18 National Indoor School Hockey Champions, and in March the team were also crowned U18 National School Champions.

She was also part of the Belper Hockey Club team which were named U18 National Indoor Club Hockey Champions and will play in the U18 National Cup Finals at Cannock later this month.

Jack Lawley (Wrestling)

Jack, from Wirksworth, was selected to represent GB in competitions in Lithuania and France. He won gold at the English Championships and silver at the British Championships. The 14-year-old also took first place at the Scottish Open and Welsh Open, and finished in third place at a competition in Kruibeke, Belgium, winning his first medal in an overseas competition. 
 
Sam Mak (Chinese Martial Arts)

Seventeen-year-old Sam, from Matlock, is captain of the GB Junior Wushu Team. He won two gold medals and one silver medal at the European Junior Wushu Championships in Turkey last month, and also won three gold medals at the International Wushu Open Championships in Poland last year. He is due to compete at the World Junior Wushu Championships in Singapore in December.

Molly Slifkin (Kickboxing)

Molly, (15), competed for England at the World Kickboxing and Karate Association World Championships in Spain in October and won two silver medals, which qualified her to compete again in 2010. Last year Molly, from Doveridge, also won three gold medals at both the WKA English Nationals and the Midlands Open.

James Thraves (Rugby Union)

16-year-old James, from Matlock, has competed at U15 and U16 level as part of the Leicester Tigers Elite Player Development Group and has just gained a place within the Leicester Tigers Academy. He will be competing for England U16 at a tournament in Italy in April.