Central Bedfordshire athletes unveiled for Sporting Champions scheme

Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, now in its ninth year, has helped more than 7,000 athletes to achieve their sporting potential by providing free access to Everyone Active’s 230-plus leisure facilities.

These include Houghton Regis Leisure and Community Centre, Flitwick Leisure Centre, The Dunstable Centre, Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre, Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre and Sandy Sports and Leisure Centre, run on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council.

Among the 51 Central Bedfordshire athletes accepted on the scheme this year are:

• Dunstable’s Aidan Gaffey, 18, who won the 400m county title in 2023 and 2024 and competed at the England Athletics Indoor Championships this year – trains at Flitwick Leisure Centre
• Leighton Buzzard footballer Nieve Childs, 14, who earned selection to England Schoolgirls under-15s and qualified for the National Cross-Country Championships for the second year running – trains at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre

Alongside free access to Everyone Active centres, Sporting Champions will also receive valuable mentoring and guidance from an impressive panel of Elite athletes comprising world champions, Commonwealth champions and Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic medallists.

The scheme’s all-star line-up of prestigious athletes includes Richard Kilty, Lauren Steadman, Maisie Summers-Newton and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, while new to the panel for 2025 is Team GB cyclist Emma Finucane*.

These Elite athletes will share their experience and expertise through group mentoring sessions, covering topics including mental wellbeing, nutrition, managing finances, social media and media training.

These innovative, hands-on workshops are designed to equip up-and-coming athletes with the practical tools and techniques needed to be at the top of their game. In addition, and new for this year, Sporting Champions will take part in bitesize webinars in collaboration with national governing bodies.

Olympic silver medallist and former world record holder, Colin Jackson CBE, will continue to support the scheme through his role as the scheme’s Ambassador, working alongside the Elite athletes to make sport more accessible within local communities.

Colin said: "I am incredibly passionate about nurturing young talent and the Sporting Champions scheme goes above and beyond in this mission.

“As the scheme’s ambassador, my role is to pass my knowledge, experience and expertise on to the next generation of super-talented athletes. Seeing these future champions flourish throughout each year as they gain confidence fuels my excitement for what's to come!"

At the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, no fewer than 26 Sporting Champions competed, taking home nine gold, six silver and eight bronze medals collectively.

Gary Foley, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “We are delighted to be providing exceptional support to this year’s cohort who have been accepted on Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme.

“The profound impact Sporting Champions has on emerging talent from Central Bedfordshire each year is always amazing to see, and we are excited to be supporting more athletes than ever on their journey to sporting success.

“As a leisure provider working on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sections of the community. We hope to continue making a real difference to our athletes’ success and are excited to see what success stories the scheme will bring this year.”

To find out more about the Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, visit ea-champions.com/sporting-champions/ or follow @easportingchamps on Instagram. For further information on Everyone Active, visit www.everyoneactive.com