Connor Bainbridge

Connor is just 16 but already competes in Under 19 windsurfing tournaments and often surpasses his older, more experienced competitors. This year he will compete in both the European and World Championships.

Connor explains: “It can be a bit stressful juggling so much at once, but as soon as I am on the water it is all worthwhile. I get such an adrenaline rush from competing and I love everything about the sport.

“I started when I was about nine and never looked back. I windsurf three times a week and train every single day. This donation will go towards a brand new board, which will help me in my next goal – to become UK number one!”

Close this window

Ed Aston

Currently in his third year at Birmingham University, where he is track captain, Ed trains up to ten times a week in order to maintain his rankings as an 800m competitor. He hopes to impress at both the European Senior Championships and Commonwealth Games over the next couple of years.

Ed explains: “Sport is a huge part of my life and it means the world to be recognized by the MARS Refuel Drink Fund. As I make the transition from U23’s to seniors over the next couple of years, support such as this is invaluable.

“This donation will go towards travel and training costs. These are financial strain, but with this pressure lifted, hopefully I can train for longer and push myself to go even further. I want to compete at London 2012 and this donation will take allow me to totally focus on this goal.”

Close this window

Elliot Kelly

Elliot is 17 and studying for AS Levels. Between studies, he has to fit in daily gym sessions and water polo matches each weekend. Currently playing for both the U19 GB team and Sheffield Water Polo Team, he hopes to progress to the adult squad in a year or so.

He explains: “It can be hard juggling my studies with my sport but I love playing water polo so much that it’s all worthwhile. I started with the academy team at 12 and never looked back.

“I’m so grateful to my parents for helping me fund my ambition and this donation will be such a great help towards travel and training costs. With this support from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund I can train and play longer so I can reach my goals.”

Close this window

Rottingdean FC U15s

Gary McCarthy, U15 Manager, explains: “All the boys on my team are 15 now and most joined at the age of six, sticking with us since then. They’re a great bunch of lads who work really hard, so I’m thrilled we can now to reward them with new kit that actually fits!

“With this donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund we can get new kit without asking their parents to contribute financially. This will be a great boost to team morale as it means we can continue for another season and play longer. A big thank you goes out to MARS Refuel, from the lads and myself.”

Close this window

Imogen Green

Imogen is a national level heptathlete and hopes to improve her rankings as she makes the transition from Under 17 to Under 20 leagues. As most competitions are far from home, competing can be a huge financial strain on the whole family.

She explains: “I love my sport more than anything but it does cost a lot every year. Obviously in heptathlon we have seven times the equipment and training to pay for! As well as heptathlon, I represent my school, club and county in netball and hockey.

“Sport is who I am, so I don’t mind putting in so many hours. This donation will go towards equipment and travel costs, so it’ll help the whole family. I’m really lucky as my family is so supportive. Thanks to the MARS Refuel Drink Fund I can play for longer. My dad is also one of my coaches, so he’s doubly thrilled about this donation!”

Close this window

Aylestone St James RFC – Jimmie’s Angels

The funding has been awarded to club’s female youth squad, also known as Jimmie’s Angels. The 13-18 year old girls in the team train during the week and compete each weekend. All 30 girls on the team have huge enthusiasm for a sport traditionally associated with boys and men.

Jonathan Foster, team manager, explains: “The girls’ team has been going since 2002 and has grown in popularity each year. We try to keep fees as low as possible to encourage more local girls to give it a try and play for longer.

“To increase awareness of the girls’ team, we’ve always wanted to run a summer roadshow. Thanks to this donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund, we can set up free taster sessions of the sport at local clubs, schools and parks throughout summer.”

Close this window

Josh Neil

Josh is 14 and works hard to combine studying and sporting commitments. His long term goal is to play for Scotland in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Adam Neil, Josh’s father, explains: “We are fully behind Josh and very proud of him – he works so hard and it’s clearly paying off. This donation will help to make sure we can fund travel and entry for important tournaments.

“He is going from strength to strength and with the help of this donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund, he can train and play for longer and reach his goal.”

Close this window

University of Limerick Judo Club

The club has more than 70 members, aged 18-40. Most are students while others have graduated or joined from outside the university. Training twice a week at the University of Limerick, the club has gone from strength to strength since it was set up 10 years ago. Earlier this year, at the Irish Judo Intervarsities, the club was thrilled to bring home a haul of medals.

Mat Galicic, club chairman, says: “We want to build up our reputation as serious contenders and to do this we need to enter more competitions. Thanks to this donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund, we can train longer and perform better.

“This year we have at least ten people set to get their yellow belt, while two will be getting their black belt! Competing at a national and international level will enable us to constantly improve so we can attract new members and continue to grow.”

Close this window

Pen-y-bont Surf Lifesaving Club

The club has 250 members of all ages, drawn from Bridgend and the surrounding areas. Members train in the local swimming pool every Thursday evening and on the beach during the warmer months. The organisers also arrange competitions with similar clubs throughout summer.

Nev White, club treasurer, explains: “This donation will enable us to purchase educational materials as well as safety, fitness and training equipment. We want the kids to learn new skills to help them move onto advanced levels of surf life saving.

“We encourage whole families to take part and take an interest in community spirit. These skills are incredibly important and with the help of the MARS Refuel Drink Fund we can keep going for longer.”

Close this window

Phill Reynolds

Currently in his first year at Portsmouth University, Phill has been sailing since the age of nine. He explains: “All of my family enjoy sailing, so it’s no surprise I ended up loving the sport! At the moment, I train for more than twenty hours a week; in the gym, on the bike and of course on the water.

“It can be difficult to juggle studying and sport but it’s all totally worth it when I get out on the water and compete. This donation will help fund my travel and entry fees so that I can race against the best and continue to improve.”

Close this window

Fareham Kettlebell

Vantage taekwondo club has recently expanded its offering to include kettlebell lessons. Kettlebells are weights that look like cannonballs, and are used as a training aide. Their popularity in celebrity fitness circles has increased interest in the method, encouraging new members to try it out.

Matthew Collins, who runs the club, explains: “These tough training lessons are growing in popularity and we want to be able to provide kettlebells to those who attend. It’s a great way of improving fitness and strength, and is a very efficient way to exercise.

“The donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund means we can purchase enough kettlebells for everyone attending our classes so we can keep prices low and train for longer.”

Close this window

Pentathlon GB Talent Squad

Every year, the UK’s most promising young pentathletes are invited to join the talent squad and participate in monthly training sessions. There are currently 32 squad members, aged between 14 and 16, who are working hard to progress on to the senior GB team in future.

Stuart Mason MBE, team manager, explains: “The young people on the team show real promise and are handpicked to receive the highest possible standard of support and training, to give them the best chance of achieving their full potential and become our future Olympians.

“The donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund will help us put further funding towards training sessions for these young athletes, to help them train and play for longer!”

Close this window

West Wight Netball Team

The team has around twenty members, ranging in age from 14 to 60. Some play in matches, while others choose to participate in training only.

Susannah Jennings, team member, explains: “We all love playing for the club and have created a fantastic sense of team spirit.

However, our kit is more than five years old and doesn’t reflect the pride we have for our club. The donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund is amazing because it means we can kit out every member without asking them to contribute financially.”

Close this window

Stirling University Mountaineering Club

Currently 45 members regularly attend climbs and expeditions, which means it is essential that qualified leaders are present.

Sven Leman, club president, explains: “We are absolutely thrilled about our donation as it means we can afford to send 10 members on a first aid course specifically tailored towards mountainside incidents. Once trained, these members will be able to share their skills with the rest of the club.

“In a sport such as mountaineering, safety is incredibly important and this donation will give us the confidence and knowledge to train safely for longer.”

Close this window

North Staffordshire Special Olympics

In last year’s Special Olympic National Games this talented group of athletes returned with an incredible hoard of 27 gold medals, 27 silver and 26 bronze!

The team’s fundraiser, Matthew Fry, says: “We work hard to raise the funds so our athletes can continue to train and compete. The funding from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund will help the athletes play longer. It will contribute towards the travel costs of competitions and also pay for new equipment so we can attract more people with learning difficulties to join us.

“For our members the team provides more than just sporting activities. It also helps them to develop the social skills and confidence to become better integrated into society."

Close this window

Braintree Cricket Club

Steve Hale, Chairman at Braintree Cricket Club explains: “Our training sessions are not solely about cricket, we have a huge focus on keeping fit.

“The donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund means we can buy some fantastic equipment, such as resistance parachutes, that are specifically designed to make fitness training fun. We’ve had an eye on this equipment for a long time. Receiving the funding means we can buy it and keep all our members playing for longer. With the cricket season about to begin the timing couldn’t be better.”

Close this window

Canoeists Nigel Graham and Ray Sweetlove

The pair are Ireland’s leading C2 slalom canoeists but have struggled to find funding for the new boat they desperately need. The funding from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund will go towards replacing their 15 year old canoe with a new, more technically advanced boat.

Nigel Graham says: “At 39 and 34 years old Ray and I came out of our canoeing retirement to give competitive canoeing one more chance. Juggling full time jobs and families, we still manage to fit in three sessions of training a week on the water and three in the gym.

“All our hard work has paid off and we’ve reached a standard much higher than we ever hoped to achieve. Our next goal is selection for the Irish national team which is where the funding from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund comes in. A new boat will be much lighter and faster than our 15 year old canoe and could make all the difference in keeping us going to the next level."

Close this window

Bristol Maddogs

Team Manager, Adrian Smith says: “We are delighted with the funding from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund which will help the team look and be more professional.

“The goal nets we currently use date from the 1960s and are a real embarrassment! Before every game we need to scoop up ice to fill in the gaps so that the net actually catches the puck! We currently also all wear odd socks so we will be buying matching socks. Although it seems like a small detail, looking like a proper team will give us a great boost and help us play longer.”

Close this window