Leighton Buzzard's swim star Olivia shortlisted for Sporting Champions Awards

The 17-year-old is up for Regional Champion of the Year (East) at Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions Awards, which are due to be held at Porchester Hall in Bayswater, London on Wednesday, October 30.

The event will be hosted by Great Britain’s double world 110m hurdles champion and former world record holder Colin Jackson.

Everyone Active runs more than 230 leisure and cultural centres across the country, including Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Flitwick Leisure Centre, The Dunstable Centre, Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre, Sandy Sports and Leisure Centre and Houghton Regis Leisure Centre, on behalf of Central Bedfordshire Council.

The company’s Sporting Champions scheme is a sports talent development programme which supports 1,400 athletes. Now in its eighth year, the initiative has helped thousands of athletes to achieve their sporting potential by providing free access to Everyone Active’s leisure facilities nationwide.

Sporting Champions athletes won an incredible 23 medals at this year’s Olympics and Paralympics – nine gold, six silver and eight bronze – while 14 athletes competed at their first Olympics or Paralympics in Paris.

Olivia, who trains at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, equalled the S14 100m butterfly world record at the start of this year. She went on to star in her debut Paralympics, claiming S14 mixed 4x100 freestyle relay gold, alongside bronze in the S14 100m backstroke.

Award winners will include those who have had career successes or who have engaged with the Sporting Champions scheme and their local Everyone Active centre. Everyone Active will also celebrate those who have helped to inspire other up-and-coming sportsmen and women.

In addition, Central Bedfordshire Council have been nominated for Local Authority Partner of the Year, a category which celebrates the amazing support of the scheme from Everyone Active’s clients.

The awards ceremony will be preceded by a mentoring workshop, led by the scheme’s team of Elite athletes. Richard Kilty, Maisie Summers-Newton and Lauren Steadman starred on the Paris 2024 stage, and they will be joined by Olympians Lutalo Muhammad and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey to share their insights and experiences and help guide the Sporting Champions athletes in their own careers.

Gary Foley, Everyone Active’s contract manager, said: “We are really looking forward to celebrating the fantastic achievements of all the Sporting Champions athletes at Porchester Hall, including Olivia, as well as acknowledging the wonderful support of our council partners.

“The scheme has been very successful in providing exceptional support to emerging talent and we are delighted to be showcasing this.

“It’s fantastic to see how the scheme has expanded over the years, now providing more than 1,400 athletes nationwide with access to top-quality training facilities and mentoring.

“As a leisure provider working in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council, we feel it is important to cater for all sections of the community, and we hope to continue making a real difference to our athletes’ success.”

Cllr Steven Watkins, Executive Member for Leisure at Central Bedfordshire Council, added: “Many congratulations to Olivia for being nominated for a Sporting Champions Award! It’s fantastic that Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre has been vital in facilitating her success in para swimming, and I really hope this inspires others to take up the sport – not just in Leighton Buzzard but area wide. We have many pools that our residents can use, and I encourage everyone to have a go.

“Alongside this great news, Central Bedfordshire Council is also proud to be nominated as Local Authority Partner of the Year from Everyone Active and we look forward to the results at the end of this month. Good luck Olivia!”

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