David Young, Chairman of the Hartlepool Sports Council, Erin Langley and Matt Johnson, Wynyard Park Development Manager.
Wynyard Park Ltd, which owns a 700-acre business park on Teesside, has renewed its sponsorship of Hartlepool Sports Council by pledging a further £2,000 in the current financial year.
The money has been placed in a fund that provides grants to the town’s most talented sportsmen and sportswomen to enable them to compete at the highest possible level in their chosen sports.
Open to people competing at county level or above, the grants can be used to cover the cost of travel expenses, coaching fees, specialist equipment, sports kit and competition fees.
Matt Johnson, Wynyard Park Ltd’s Development Manager, said: “We have long-standing links with Hartlepool Sports Council and we are delighted to renew our sponsorship.
“In a year when the UK is hosting the Olympic Games, it seems particularly appropriate to be trying to help our most talented sportsmen and sportswomen achieve their full potential.
One up and coming star who has already benefited from a £425 grant is Jasmin Langley, 14, an England international in the karate-style martial art of Wadokai. The Manor College of Technology student recently won the gold medal in the 13-15 age group at the sport’s National Championships in Alfreton, Derbyshire.
Mum Erin from Jutland Road, Hartlepool, said: “Jasmin took up Wadokai at the age of 7 and her progress has been amazing. There is a lot of travelling to competitions and it can be costly, so the grant she received from Hartlepool Sports Council has really helped.”
David Young, Chairman of Hartlepool Sports Council, said: “We are so grateful for Wynyard Park Ltd’s on-going financial support which, in turn, enables us to offer vital backing to local sportsmen and sportswomen like Jasmin who are striving to make it to the top.
“It would be tremendous if the company’s financial assistance helped us to unearth and develop one or more stars of the future.”
Wynyard Park currently supports around 2,000 jobs and is home to around 60 companies of various sizes. Its long-term vision is for the creation of a sustainable, mixed-use community where people will both live and work. Proposed future developments on the site include a hospital, new homes and leisure facilities.