Seven young sporting hopefuls from Leicester and Leicestershire have received Inspire grants from a charity scheme aimed at helping them to fulfil their potential.

Callum Twelves, Nathan Beckett, Vinnie Dawson, Toby Nicholas, Jessica Barker, Jake Spaul and Finn Mansfield have each received Inspire Awards from local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) to help them reach their goals in sport.

Inspire Awards are small grants of up to £500 from the JHMT. The awards were set up to help young people aged 13-21 from Leicester and Leicestershire to fulfil their ambitions in the fields of music, arts, sports, entrepreneurism and community endeavour. Since the awards' inception in 2014, £41,500 has been awarded to help 230 young people to do some amazing things.

The JHMT was set up in memory of Leicester teenager Joe Humphries, who collapsed and died in October 2012 while out jogging near his family home in Rothley, Leicestershire. Joe was a victim of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) – a group of lethal heart diseases which can cause sudden cardiac death in young people. The JHMT provides free CPR training, helps to fund community defibrillators and campaigns for better understanding of SADS, as well as running the Inspire Awards.

Jessica Barker, aged 18, from Twycross, Leicestershire has been selected to be part of the GB Women's Under 20 Ultimate Frisbee team to take part in the World Championships in Wroclaw, Poland which takes place next month. The Inspire Award grant for £300 will help to offset some of the costs for training, transport, and accommodation.

Jessica said: " Being able to play Ultimate Frisbee is a great way to meet friends and it has really helped build my confidence especially following the last couple of years where opportunities to engage in team sports has been limited. To be able to represent Great Britain and compete against teams from all over the world will be a fantastic life experience, helping me improve my skills and interact with players from different countries and backgrounds."

Finn Mansfield, aged 2O, from Wymeswold, Leicestershire, has received a grant for £250 to help towards his Cyclecross bike racing expenses. Currently studying Medical Microbiology (basically bacteria and viruses) at the University of Bristol, Finn still manages to race bikes whether its track racing for his university to bike packing, gravel races and fixie crits.

Finn said: "Cycling isn't a very student friendly sport. Race entries alone can be £30-50 each, so it's quite an expense, especially as I'm taking part in numerous races this summer. Thankfully, the JHMT Inspire grant has once again helped me towards covering some of the expenses which I'm grateful for."

Toby Nicholas, aged 19, from Twycross, Leicestershire is one of the talented Ultimate Frisbee players from across the county. Toby has been selected to represent Great Britain U20s at the World Championships in Wroclaw, Poland in August. This will be Toby's second grant awarded by JHMT

Toby said: "The JHMT Inspire grant for £250 will allow me to take this opportunity and gain more experience at an international level and help towards my travel, equipment and accommodation costs."

Vinnie Dawson aged 19, from Leicestershire is a 800/1500m runner who is currently studying, living and training at St Mary's University, Twickenham, London. Vinnie said: "I hope to further my athletic career in my sport by training with some of the best athletes in the country as well as best coaching there is to offer"

" The Inspire grants, including the most recent for £200, have helped me over the past three years to progress my training as well as helping keep me healthy which I hope will all contribute to me achieving my goals in the future."

Jake Spaul, aged 17, from Enderby, Leicestershire has been heavily involved in British Dodgeball for the past nine years. As a player, match official and now coach, the sport has been a major part of his life. Jake was awarded an Inspire grant for £150.

Jake says: "Before starting the new season this October in both junior & adult leagues I would like to progress further with my coaching ability and continue to give back to a sport I really enjoy. I will be attending the British Dodgeball Level 3 coaching course. With this I will not only be able to support the dodgeball club but also progress into the world of University Dodgeball during the next stage of my education.

"I am really grateful to the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust for supporting me with my coach education, as this means the academy can spend money on equipment to aid the club with training the members rather than covering my training needs."

Nathan Beckett, aged 16, from Desford, Leicestershire is a talented young goalkeeper who following a successful trial has been offered a Lincoln City FC Shadow Scholarship. This will involve full time education on a BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport course at Riseholme College, 15 hours training per week as well as representing Lincoln City Shadow Squad in the National Youth Football League.

Nathan said: "This is an incredible opportunity for me. It is sixty three miles each way to commute so we are looking at accommodation at Riseholme College which is a significant cost for my family over two years. There's also the travel home on weekends, football training kit and more."

"The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, through its Inspire Awards grants scheme, have kindly helped me with a £400 grant towards the cost of travel and football kit. I am incredibly grateful for this support and will be forever appreciative in helping to make my dream come true."

And finally, Callum Twelves, aged 18, from Stapleton, Leicestershire is a very talented road and track cyclist who is looking to gain further experience this summer by competing in five days of cycle races in the North-West of Spain from the 25th to the 29th of July 2022.

Callum said:" With travelling to a different country for a race there is a significant cost with flights and hotels. The Inspire grant for £200 will allow me to compete in these races in Spain and help to put me in perfect condition for the track championships to show my capabilities to any potential teams for next year."

Simon Taylor, JHMT Inspire lead, said: " It's really uplifting to see talented young people from the city and county who are so committed to their sport as a participant or coach and working so hard to achieve their goals. We are so pleased to hear that the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust Inspire grants continue to help young people make a difference and be the best they can be."

To find out more about the JHMT and the Inspire Awards, visit www.jhmt.org.uk/inspire