Rising stars from the North East celebrated at sports awards

At the GSF Awards event held at Gateshead International Stadium last week, athletes and partners gathered to hear how this year's award fund of almost £40,000 will help support talented athletes on their sporting journey. The disciplines represented include a mix of different sports such as swimming, athletics, netball, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, shooting, basketball, gymnastics, disc golf and wrestling.

Anna Nicholson, aged 30 from Durham who has cerebral palsy, was first introduced to athletics in 2010 during a multi-sports introductory day for people with disabilities, which ignited her interest in Shot Put. She competed at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023 in Paris, finishing 4th and in 2024 was selected for her second Paralympic Games, in Paris, taking home the Bronze medal.

Anna, who trains at Gateshead International Stadium, said: “I'm extremely grateful to have received the GSF Award. I train at Gateshead International Stadium but have access to any of the Better leisure facilities across the country so I don't have to worry about membership costs or finding a training venue if I'm away at an event.

“The awards evening was a great opportunity to meet athletes from Newcastle and Gateshead and share our experiences - the region has a lot of talented individuals.

“I'm competing in my third World Para Athletics Championships on 4th October in New Delhi, and hopefully the European Para Athletics Championships in 2026. The GSF award will support me with both training and recovery to allow me to compete at my very best.”

16-year-old Jay Pringle from Marley Hill in Gateshead has been studying taekwondo since the age of six and is a Black Belt Second Dan. In 2023 Jay made his international debut at the European Championships in Romania and travelled to Finland to compete in the World championships finishing third in his age and weight category bringing home a bronze medal.

In 2024 he attended the European championships in Lublin, Poland, winning gold in sparring, making him junior under 50kg European Champion. Jay is training for the World Championships in Croatia in October.

Jay explained “I feel very lucky to be one of the 58 local athletes to be supported by the GLL sports foundation.

“The £250 has helped purchase a pair of compression boots which will speed up my recovery, meaning I can train more frequently.

“Over the next 12 months the free access to any Better facility will be a huge help as it will allow me to carry out work set to me by my strength and conditioning/performance coach, helping me build my stamina and stay injury free.”

Alison Westworth, GLL’s Partnership Manager for Newcastle, added: "It was wonderful to host such an uplifting event at the iconic Gateshead International Stadium, which provided the perfect backdrop to highlight their outstanding achievements and celebrate the positive impact the GSF Awards are having on the region’s aspiring athletes. The evening was filled with inspirational stories, and I look forward to following their progress throughout the year as they strive to reach their sporting potential."

The event, which was hosted by Alison Westworth, was attended by key partners from local clubs who nurture the incredible homegrown grassroots talent from the North East including Sport Newcastle. The awards were presented by Peter Bundey, GLL’s CEO and Chair of the GLL Sports Foundation; Deputy Lord Mayor for Gateshead, Cllr Sharron Potts; Michael Lamb, Service Director for Gateshead Council; and Alice Wiseman, Director for Public Health for Newcastle and Gateshead.

The GSF supports athletes through financial bursaries, access to physical rehabilitation and mental wellbeing support and all athletes are also given access to over 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its "BETTER" brand.

Now in its 17th year the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) has so far contributed over £17m worth of athlete funding and support and distributed over 30,000 awards to young and talented athletes in 70 areas of the UK where GLL operate and across 117 different sports.

The GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) has continued to be at the forefront of developing local young athletic talent with the majority of athletes under the age of 21 and on average 88% of athletes receive no other funding or athlete support, which underlines the importance of the scheme to up and coming athletes.

GLL's recent 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 meeting their potential.

Current GSF National Ambassadors include Joe Clarke, Kimberley Woods, Tulley Kearny, Louise Fiddes, Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson and amongst GSF Alumni are Tom Daley, Ellie Simmonds, Daryl Neita and Anthony Joshua.

For more information visit www.gllsportfoundation.org

The GLL Sport Foundation's Patron is Sally Gunnell, OBE and partners involved in the programme include; SportsAid, SportsAid Wales, Mary Peters Trust, sponsors from GLL's supply chain and local authority partners.