Supporting Lewisham’s future Olympians

A charitable social enterprise has announced that 82 athletes from Lewisham will benefit from its Sport Foundation this year.

GLL’s Sport Foundation (GSF) is the largest independent athlete award programme in the UK.

Each year GSF’s £1.295million national fund of financial bursaries, training and access memberships, physiotherapy and more, supports talented athletes with the cost of preparing for and participating in national and international competition – including the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Over the past 16 years, the GSF has handed out 28,146 awards totalling £15.386million to young athletes across 117 different sports.

Lewisham athlete and world championship shot putter Cleo Agyepong is one of the athletes to benefit from the awards this year in the borough.

GSF patron Sally Gunnell said: “Young athletes need the support of organisations like the GLL Sport Foundation to follow their dreams and achieve their ambitious goals in competitive sport.

“GSF provides a lifeline to those struggling with the cost of living and can make a real difference – keeping them in training and helping realise their full potential.”

The majority of GSF athletes are under 21 years old and 87 per cent receive no other form of funding.

Pictured top: Cleo Agyepong (Picture: GSF)