A £4,000 donation towards the purchase of a new wheelchair for a disabled table tennis player and a £740 grant to send a ball hockey player to travel to Canada were among our latest FAST Fund donations.
The Foundation’s FAST Fund – Financial Assistance for Sportspeople on Teesside – exists to give support to talented local sportsmen and women who have the talent but not necessarily the finances to reach the top in their chosen sport.
We also have separate funds set aside for those with disabilities to follow their chosen sport.
Disabled table tennis player Andrew Green received £4,000 from the FAST Fund for a specialist chair that allows him to compete at the sport.
Another grant of £2,100 was made to Plamedi Mukendi, a disabled athlete, towards the costs of her wheelchair and gloves.
Other big recipients included rower Thibau Milen, who received £1,000 towards his new boat, and ball hockey player Ross Beall, who will be putting his £740 donation towards travel costs to Canada where he’ll be competing in top-level championships.
Other recipients were judo specialist Joseph McNeill, England under-14 ice hockey player Jacob Hammond (£500), squash player Michael Andrews (£500), and canoe slalom star Eve Ovington (£750).
Also celebrating were wheelchair rugby player Jack Smith (£500), athlete Afomo Ofor (£650), athlete Ella Maxwell (£1,200), pole vaulter Charlie Myers (£1,000) and canoeist Jake Brown (£1,000).
Last but not least grants were made to weightlifter Kelly-Jo Robson (£1,141), blind tennis player Rosine Pybus (£768), swimmers Grace McNiff (£396) and Lexi Nicholson (£174), Brazilian jiujitsue specialists Nathaneal Scott and Ben Appleton (£320 each), runner Jack Crosby (£261) and boxer Paige Risker (£250).
