Eliza Hart, 17 from Leicester city centre and 20 year old Elliott Powell from Knighton are both excelling in their chosen fields and as a result have been handed Inspire Awards to help encourage their success which were awarded by local charity, the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT).
Joe Humphries Memorial Trust works to increase awareness of and reduce the instances of sudden heart death. It was set up after the tragic death of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries, 14 from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).
Inspire Awards are small grants of up to £500, aimed at helping young people to fulfill their ambitions in memory of Joe, who never got the chance to fulfil his.
Eliza was awarded £300 and will use the funds to help pursue her dream of becoming a renowned dancer. She is currently studying for a BTEC level 3 qualifications in extended dance at Addict Dance Academy in Leicester.
As well as studying, Eliza funds her ambitions through a part-time cleaning job at the dance studios, covering the costs of extra evening classes and explains her motivation: “I’m prepared to dedicate myself 100% to dance, but it comes at a price – it takes hours of practice and it means I have to travel all across the UK for dance workshops.”
The awards has helped Eliza hugely, allowing her to commit to more events and workshops, she explains what the award means to her: “I still have so much to learn! I like to take every opportunity that comes my way and fulfill my potential. I cannot thank the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust enough for my award – it will make such a massive difference.”
Elliot Powell is a young track athlete and was awarded £350 and will use his award to help nurture his talent for running.
He is a member of the Leicester Coritanians athletics club, Elliott has already competed on the national and international stage. He’s made exceptional progress in his event of 200 metres and through his hard work and dedication, he has won the Midlands championships setting a new competition record, as well as winning gold in the National championships.
This resulted in him getting selected to be part of the Great Britain youth athletics team for the 200m and 4 x 100m relay.
“I’m very motivated and dedicated to my sport, and I hope that this passion and inspiration has had a positive impact on the younger members of my athletics club. I love to encourage and support young up-and-coming athletes” says Elliot.
Elliot shares what winning the award means to him and his ambitions: “It really does mean a lot to get any kind of recognition for the work I do as an athlete. This grant helped me massively in my training, which I hope will lead to greater success on the track into next season. Without the worry of finance, I can focus more on my training to be the best I can be. It also means I can travel abroad to compete this season – every contribution helps.”
Simon Taylor, Inspire Awards lead for the JHMT said: “What strikes you about both these young people is the sheer level of hard work they put in. They are both totally focused on continuing to achieve the high goals they have set for themselves.”
To find out more about the Inspire Awards visit: jhmt.org.uk/inspire
