63 athletes from Waltham Forest will benefit from £41,600 of support from the GLL Sport Foundation
Charitable social enterprise GLL has announced that 63 athletes from Waltham Forest representing 16 different sports will benefit from £41,600 of support at a GSF Awards Event held at Waltham Forest Town Hall on 12th June.
Athletes and partners gathered to hear how this year’s athlete award fund will help support talented local athletes on their sporting journey after a record number of applications were received this year.
Grace Williams, Waltham Forest Council leader, says: “Well done to all the athletes receiving an award – it is a real testament to their hard work, stamina and ambition. The GLL Sport Foundation supports so many local athletes of all ages, helping them excel across a wide range of sports and it’s fantastic to see so many of them being recognised for their achievements. Hopefully we’ll see some of this year’s award winners going on to achieve even greater accolades.”
GLL Sport Foundation is the UK’s largest independent athlete support programme, offering £1.4m worth of assistance in the form of financial support, free access to sport facilities, physiotherapy, lifestyle mentoring and mental health support.
Daniel O’Connor, GLL Partnership Manager, said: “GLL Sport Foundation is going from strength to strength in Waltham Forest as we continue to help young people start their sporting journeys. The number of local athletes applying for awards has more than doubled since 2022 and we are also supporting a more diverse range of sports.”
All GSF athletes are also given access to over 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its “BETTER” brand, and eight sites in Waltham Forest including Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre, Leytonstone Leisure Centre and Leyton Leisure Centre.
Now in its 17th year, the GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) has contributed over £17m worth of athlete funding and distributed over 30,000 awards to talented athletes in 70 areas of the UK where GLL operate across 117 different sports. Most athletes who receive support are under the age of 21 and on average 88% of athletes receive no other funding or athlete support. In Waltham Forest, 60% are under 21 but a very high 94% of athletes only benefit from GLL Sport Foundation to support their sporting journey.
GLL Sport Foundation supported athletes have excelled in major competitions and have gained over 86 Olympic and Paralympic medals and 77 Commonwealth Games medals. Alumni include Tom Daley, Ellie Simmonds, Daryl Neita and Anthony Joshua, while current GSF National Ambassadors include local world champion Ironman Lucy Charles-Barclay.
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
