Eynsham Swimmer Looks To Olympics

1 January 2012, 06:00

As 2012 kicks off and the Olympics spring to mind, Heart's been chatting to a young Oxfordshire athlete whose dreams could come true this summer.

Hannah Green, 17, from Eynsham in West Oxfordshire is Great Britain's number one ranked junior synchronised swimmer, and stands a very good chance of being picked for the Olympic team.

Hannah told Heart she can't wait to find out:

"It's just amazing. It's quite overwhelming when I really think about it because it's always been a dream, and to think that it could become a reality is something so precious."

Training with the rest of the squad at Aldershot takes up a lot of Hannah's time, and is set to increase over the next few months in the run up to the games.

Hannah explained she wouldn't have been able to be where she is now without help and support from her family and a £1,200 grant awarded to her by West Oxfordshire District Council through the West Oxfordshire Sports Awards are run in partnership with GLL Sports Foundation

Hannah said:

"The funding was a huge benefit to me as it eased the pressure of financing my training from my parents and meant that I could focus on my goal of competing at an international level and hopefully at the Olympics. I would encourage any young athlete in West Oxfordshire to apply for the grant as for many it is very difficult to get funding at the moment.”

Grants of up to £1,250 are on offer to support young sportspeople who are currently competing at county level and above.  The new partnership replaces the existing Sports Achievement and Higher Achievement Awards scheme.

The grants are available to athletes aged 12 or over who live within the West Oxfordshire district area and applications open until February 20. The cash can be used towards costs of training, travel, accommodation, coaching or to offset equipment, coaching and competition fees.

To apply visit www.westoxon.gov.uk/sportsawards, or call: 01993 861557.