Barratt backs Hertfordshire Olympic hopefuls

Watford-based housebuilder Barratt North London and a consortium of Hertfordshire-based businesses has pledged a three-year sponsorship deal for the Herts Elite Athlete Support Programme in a bid to help the county’s most promising youngsters reach the Olympics in 2012.

Glyn Hopping, managing director of Barratt North London, presented the first cheque totalling £5,850 on behalf of thenewly-formed consortium to Nick Brooking, director of sport, University of Hertfordshire, at the housebuilders’ Riverside Quarter development in Bishop’s Stortford.

Also attending the event was Councillor Colin Woodward, Town Mayor of Bishop’s Stortford, and two athletes currently benefiting from the Support Programme: 14 year old Oliver Rowlands from Goffs Oak who has been GB Boys National Trampolining Champion for two years and will represent Great Britain at the World Games this year, and 15 year old Shira Kilgallon from Hertford who plays rugby for Welwyn RFC – National Cup winners 2008/2009.

Barratt has already donated considerable funding to Watford Football Club’s On-Side project, a community-based initiative for boys and girls aged 8 – 19 delivered in Dacorum, St Albans, Three Rivers and Watford. Barratt now hopes to raise substantial donations for the young athletes via the newly-formed consortium.

Glyn Hopping says: “We have a long tradition of supporting the local communities wherever we build. Hertfordshire has some very impressive young athletes and we’d like other companies to join our consortium to support them; they stand a real chance of a place on the Olympic podium but they need our help.

“Local businesses who want to help can donate as little as £100, knowing 100 per cent of their money is going to youngsters in Hertfordshire. Companies and individuals who join the consortium will be invited to any activities we host for the programme and will be included in our marketing, PR and advertising relating to the initiative; it will be mutually beneficial for both the youngsters and the businesses that back them.”

The programme is a joint venture between the University of Hertfordshire, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the Herts Sports Partnership; the English Institute of Sport also fully supports the programme. The athletes receive support through specialist training and equipment up to the value of £1000 each and the programme aims to provide services for up to 25 youngsters.

Amongst the athletes who benefited last year was 15 year old Jodie Williams from Welwyn Garden City who is currently ranked third in the UK Senior rankings and has recently achieved the fastest time for 100m in the world this year and the best ever time for any European female sprinter aged under 18.

Nick Brooking says: “The athletes on the Elite Athlete Support Programme are all incredibly talented and are performing at a national level or have been identified as having the potential to do so. The programme provides specialist services and advice such as strength and conditioning, psychology, physiotherapy, nutrition and mentoring to ensure they are as well prepared as possible for achieving on-going success. Sponsorship such as this is vital to sustain the programme and we are very grateful to Barratt for its support.”

Glyn Hopping adds: “We have a golden opportunity here to help our young people achieve their goals. I hope as many companies as possible will join us in supporting the programme; together we can ‘Go for Gold’!”

Businesses backing the athletes all the way to 2012 include: Barratt North London, Watford; Paul Miller’s Property Management Ltd, Bishop’s Stortford; Lussmanns Eatery, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and St Albans; JKS Brickwork Ltd, Sidcup, Kent; and Stanmore Ltd (Dry Lining), Erith, Kent.

For further information on the Herts Elite Athlete Support Programme and to find out how to join Barratt’s consortium of companies backing our Olympic hopefuls, email Julie on: julie.white@barratthomes.co.uk