A DOZEN promising young Wiltshire sportspeople have received sports scholarship grants of £500, including one athlete from Tidworth.

Javelin thrower Megan Galpin, 14, from Tidworth, was one of 12 young people to receive the grants at a special ceremony at Wiltshire Council's County Hall base, in Trowbridge.

The grants, which are awarded by Wiltshire Council in partnership with local businesses as part of the Funding Future Olympians and Paralympians foundation, were presented by Councillor John Thomson, deputy leader of Wiltshire Council; Cllr Jerry Kunkler, portfolio holder for leisure and sport; Terence Herbert, Wiltshire Council corporate director; and gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer, Stephanie Millward MBE.

The funding is awarded to young people aged eight to 18, who compete at regional or national level in an Olympic/Paralympic sport, or a sport recognised by Sport England with the grant to assist the recipients with training and competition opportunities and the purchase of new equipment and travel costs.

Cllr Thomson said: “It was a real pleasure to meet these young people, all of whom are competing at a high level in their chosen sport, and I was delighted to present them with a grant.

“We know that these grants make a huge difference to the opportunities for our future sports stars, providing much-needed financial support for training, events and competitions.

"We wish Wiltshire’s young sports stars every success, and we’ll be watching their careers with interest. We hope to see them representing Team GB – and Wiltshire – on the world stage, in the future.”