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Talented Athlete Fund

Launched in December 2007, 76 performers each received a bursary of £300 in the first year, to help them make the most of their talent.

This increased to 108 athletes in 2009, who each received £300 to help meet costs such as travel, training and equipment, and in 2010 bursaries of up to £300 have been awarded to 109 athletes.

Derbyshire Sport worked with Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Lorson International to establish the fund, which has been made possible thanks to the support of local authorities and private sector funding. See our full list of funders.

The Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund has been created to fill a gap within the sports system in Derbyshire. Prior to establishing this, few of Derbyshire's up and coming sports performers were able to obtain any financial support from partners in the county, to help offset the considerable costs involved in competing at regional or national level.

We have some very talented young sports people in Derbyshire and we are trying to build a sports system in Derbyshire which will allow those who become successful to look back on their early stages and remember that organisations and companies in Derbyshire recognised their talents and supported them along the way.

Managed by Derbyshire Sport, bursaries are awarded to performers who are competing for England or Great Britain or have the potential to do so within 18 months.

The aim is to help emerging sports stars who, while perhaps receiving support from club or governing body structures, are currently receiving limited support from partners within Derbyshire.

One of the most noticeable gaps in the county system is a lack of available bursaries to performers who are not yet Lottery funded or receiving help through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme.

Performers from all sports recognised by Sport England are eligible.

As part of the scheme it is also hoped that more local businesses will come on board, to boost the Fund further.

There are many sports people from Derbyshire who have been internationally successful, including Commonwealth medallists Donna Kellogg and Ross Davenport who are two of the county’s current high profile performers achieving success.

Just behind them are a host of young people competing successfully on the world stage for England or Great Britain in a wide range of sports, and The Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund aims to identify and support these performers to help them fulfil their potential and compete at the highest level.

Derbyshire Sport director David Joy said: "We hope that when our sports performers achieve international success, they will be able to reflect positively on their journey and remember that the Derbyshire community recognised their talent and supported them in achieving their goals."