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AssetID: 40760943

Headline: GVC Hails Success Of Scheme To Support Next Generation Of British Athletes

Caption: Just over a year after launching its collaboration with SportsAid to support the next generation of athletes, GVC, the multi-national sports-betting and gaming group, has hailed the scheme a great success. The partnership was launched just over one year ago with the support of Baroness Grey-Thompson. It offers a source of support for the country’s young, talented athletes during the critical early stages of their careers including financial support, recognition and personal development opportunities. Through its partnership with SportsAid, GVC supports 50 young athletes across the country each year, providing funding to help towards the cost of training, travel and equipment, as well as expert advice and guidance on a broad range of topics including nutrition, time management, training and dealing with the media. Notable beneficiaries include archer Eleanor Piper, rifle shooter Ruth Mwandumba, track and field star Joel Clarke-Khan, para table tennis player Craig Allen and wheelchair basketball talent Ross Davidson. A total of 12 recipients of support in 2019 have continued on the programme with GVC in 2020. The young athletes will be following in the footsteps of legendary figures such as Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah, Dame Sarah Storey and Ellie Simmonds OBE - all of whom received SportsAid support - and more recent beneficiaries including Dina Asher-Smith and Adam Peaty MBE. Cheyanne Evans-Gray will also be benefitting from GVC’s support this year. The sprinter, who competes for Croydon Harriers and set a new British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Championships record over 60m this year, balances training with a job at one of GVC’s Ladbrokes betting shops in Croydon. Cheyanne Evans-Gray says: “I feel overwhelmed and am really grateful for the support from Sports Aid. I’m in training to compete at The Olympics and hopefully win gold and this funding means that I can afford to fund more training and it will give me a helping hand in buying some new kit. The mentoring programme will mean so much to me too.” Grainne Hurst, GVC’s Group Director of Corporate Affairs commented: “In a world where local and grassroots sports are under increasing financial pressure we believe our collaboration with SportsAid helps play a pivotal role in supporting the next generation of British sporting heroes. Providing as many opportunities as we can for our nation’s brightest sporting talent is crucial if we want to continue to achieve sporting success on the podium. We’re thrilled that we are also able to support Cheyanne, one of our own GVC colleagues, through this partnership. She has shown huge promise as a talented young athlete, and we are delighted to be supporting her quest for sprinting glory.” Tim Lawler, SportsAid Chief Executive added: “Confirming support for a new cohort of talented young athletes is always exciting and this continued commitment from GVC is very welcome news in these uncertain times. Recognising and encouraging the next generation to develop their potential has arguably never been more important, and we are thrilled to see our partnership with GVC going from strength to strength.”

Keywords: GVC

PersonInImage: Cheyanne Evans-Gray