ONE hundred and sixteen talented athletes throughout Cornwall have been awarded GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) awards worth nearly £70,000.

It is reported that 85 per cent don’t receive funding from any other source, 56 per cent are aged under 21 and 10 per cent have a disability.

Amongst this year’s beneficiaries are top ten world canoeist Benjamin Cabrera; target sprint shooter Caitlin Keaney, who is currently ranked third in the world and first nationally; grade one para dressage rider Felicity Marriott and Paralympian triathlete Melissa Reid who took silver at the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games.

GLL is a charitable social enterprise that runs nine of Cornwall’s leisure centres on behalf of Cornwall Council. 

GSF has been running for the last 16 years and, in that time, 28,146 awards totalling £15,386,000 have been made nationally, across 117 different sports.

James Curry, GLL’s head of service, said: “We’re delighted that even more athletes are going to receive support in Cornwall this year, compared to 2023.

“Our research shows that many talented athletes struggle to realise their dreams of sporting glory due to rising costs of equipment, training, physiotherapy, travel and nutrition. 

“For them, a GSF Award can be the lifeline to staying in training and achieving their potential. 

“That’s very important to us as an organisation that reinvests all surplus money into our services, and I look forward to the awards presentation at Callwith College in Bodmin on June 27.”