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Boxer awarded JWCT grant
October 2009

Oliver Kitchen, a courageous 17-year old boxer, has been given a £750 JWCT grant. Ollie has a fantastic opportunity to realise his dream as he has been selected (as one of only ten in the whole country) to attend The Frank Bruno Boxing Academy in Orpington, Kent, where he will be groomed for the 2012 Olympic Games by an ex British Boxing Champion Boxer and Terry Edwards (GB Head Coach, 2000-2008). Ollie’s parents contacted the JWCT due to the increasing financial pressure on the family for accommodation costs, boxing equipment and uniform and training camps that this entailed, including an altitude training camp in Tenerife and a trip to Las Vegas to train with boxing world champions.

Ollie explained his introduction to boxing: “I have been boxing since I was eight years-old and only started boxing to lose weight as at the time I was overweight and was getting bullied for it. . . . Then when I was ten I suddenly found myself really enjoying the boxing part of training and was starting to pick up some skills. I was going down the gym twice a week also at this point in my life I was just going into secondary school and was loosing weight due to the fitness, so my coach turned around just before my eleventh birthday and said that I was ready for my first bout. Then over the next three years . . . I only had seven bouts. This was partly due to me still being heavy for my age and partly due to suffering badly with nerves. As in each of my first seven bouts I was sick in between the bouts and I can't say I really enjoyed the experience! At the time I was told that it would get better and it did.

Then when I was fifteen . . . I was asked to train with the seniors . . . I learnt more in the first six weeks than I did during the whole time I boxed before. I now loved boxing as a sport and . . . I would watch boxing at every opportunity. I was also now winning most of my bouts and no longer being sick in between rounds. So my coach decided to enter me into the National Championships which I was eventually knocked out in the semi-finals to the eventual winner. This made me rank third in the English ranking for my weight and age.”

Since then he was selected for the Western Counties boxing squad, and later crowned Devon, Dorset and Cornwall champion and subsequently Western Counties champion. More recently he reached the quarter finals of the National Amateur Boxing Association Championships, winning two titles on his way – the Southern Area and the Western Counties Championships.

Ollie said “I am now six weeks into the Academy and it’s great. We train twice a day most days with a run in the morning at 6am . . . and train in the night and afternoon. Also at the academy we are doing a BTEC Sport Level Three, a personal training course, lifeguard course and ICT A-level . . . I have had 19 bouts (11 wins, 8 loses). From boxing I want to achieve as much as I can, the coaches at the Academy say that we should all aim for the Olympics and that’s what I am doing. But if I don’t I will still box to the highest level possible.”


 

Young badminton player funded
August 2009

Anna Collis, a promising 13 year-old badminton player from Letchworth, has been awarded with a £500 grant from the JWCT towards training, equipment, travel and tournament fees. In particular the funding will contribute towards the regular cost of racquet stringing, a significant cost now that Anna is performing at such a high level.

Anna trains in Hertfordshire and has been playing badminton for two and a half years. During this time she has made exceptional progress and is currently ranked at number three in her age group nationally and plays number one girl for Hertfordshire in her age group. She has played in National, International and European tournaments during the last 12 months.

Although only just 13 she has played up through the age groups, often competing for county and national tournaments against Under-17 players.

Anna’s mother Christine told the JWCT “Anna trains very hard and is dedicated to her sport. I have been told she has raw talent and absolute determination - a formidable combination. She has two aims - to play for England in the Olympics and to coach others in the future. She loves her sport and is on a court at every opportunity. The grant from the Jeremy Willson Charitable Trust will enable her to do some additional training this year which will make a big difference. Thank you."


 

Visually impaired cyclist receives grant
August 2009

A 16 year-old para-cycling rider from Swansea, Nathan Tyrrell (pictured at back of tandem), has been awarded a JWCT grant via Sports Aid, a partner organisation of the JWCT. Nathan is visually impaired, and competes in Tandem Cycling races within Paralympic Cycling. The £750 sponsorship will support his travel to and from training (100 miles round trip to the velodrome), strength and conditioning training locally in Swansea, and the increasing costs of equipment he needs to compete. Due to his disability, he has to be accompanied by a parent or adult everywhere he goes which makes the cost of his sport extremely expensive.

Nathan is ranked No.1 in Great Britain in his age group and ‘visually impaired’ classification and already, at a young age, is setting times that are comparable with senior GB and World class riders (cycling rules means only riders aged 18 years and over can compete internationally). Neil Smith, Performance Coach for disabled athletes in Newport confirmed “he is ranked within the top 20 in the World, and once he’s 18 I’m sure he’ll make a significant impact on the World stage . . . He is being monitored by British Cycling on his development through the partnership between our Academy and themselves.” According to the National Coach, Nathan is on track for Paralympic standard for the Olympics in 2012.

Nathan has been part of the Disability Sport Wales Academy (which houses facilities for top-level athletes with disabilities) for four years.

Matt Willson, a JWCT trustee, added “we are really pleased to be helping Nathan achieve his goals with this grant, our third to promising disabled athletes via Sports Aid.”


 

Young kickboxer sponsored
August 2009

Raja Chiripal, a young kickboxer from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has been awarded a £500 JWCT grant. Raja has trained in kickboxing for almost 11 years, from age six, and since then he has made great progress, achieving a junior black belt in December 2005. With this he has overcome many problems he experienced when he was younger, including confidence and weight problems.

Raja started competing nationally in 2006, and is now one of the top competitors in Britain for his age and weight class - coming first in the 2009 WAKO British Championships in the 63kg weight category and second in the adults section. These achievements have secured him places this year in the British squad for the Adult World Championships in France, and Junior European Championships in Croatia. In 2008 he attended the World Junior Championships in Naples, Italy, losing to the World champion in the second round. He is three times British champion in WAKO, ISKA and the former IAKSA governing body (now merged with WAKO), and has won bronze medals in the kickboxing 2008 WAKO Austrian Classics and the 2007 WAKO World Cup in Italy and a silver in the 2007 WAKO Flanders Cup.

Raja’s dedication extends beyond his training; he also voluntarily instructs children and adults for his club, the South East Academy of Martial Arts. Raja won the Sir Steve Redgrave Sports Bursary in 2007 and last year appeared on Blue Peter on BBC1, demonstrating kickboxing techniques on TV with the presenters. He balances a heavy training schedule with a high standard in his academic work; he is currently studying for his A-levels.

Raja said (prior to being awarded a JWCT grant) “I feel honoured to represent my country but due to lack of funding feel I might miss out on the chance to represent this year. It is very hard as kickboxing is not a Sport England recognised sport, so chances of grants and sponsorship are few and far between . . .. Your act of kindness would mean a lot to me, and would mean I can continue to progress within the sport I love.”

Paul Busby, Raja’s coach, commented “I really cannot thank you enough. When I read your email and realised we could now get Raj to the Europeans [Championships] I nearly cried there and then . . . You wouldn't believe how much a little help like this means to us.”


 

Canoe funding awarded to Scouts
July 2009

Kent Scouts has awarded £300 to the Apollo Explorers in Gravesham, Kent, to help purchase open canoes, facilitated by a JWCT grant to encourage adventurous activities in the county. The Scout group were having difficulties funding the costs of additional canoes to expand their water-based activities. They have already raised a £1,000 through other fundraising and are looking to raise £3,000. They use the canoes for training for activity permits, for teaching younger Scouts and are also considering conducting Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme expeditions by canoe.

Nick and Tricia Willson, charity trustees, attended the launch of one of the canoes at Yalding, on the River Medway, on 29 July. Nick said “Jeremy was a keen Cub and Scout and as such we are keen to see the JWCT support some of the activities he enjoyed.”


  Funding for Project Trust training course
June 2009

The JWCT has contributed funds to help Ilya Kalenik, a Project Trust volunteer, to travel to and from a training and briefing course on the Isle of Coll in Scotland prior to travelling to an overseas project. The JWCT stepped in as Ilya was struggling to raise the funds to attend due to difficult family financial circumstances.

The funding continues the JWCT’s relationship with the Project Trust. Jeremy Willson, after whom the charity is named, participated in a Project Trust project in Indonesia when he was 18, and hence the charity is keen to support others seeking to volunteer overseas with the organisation, particularly those that are finding fund-raising challenging.

Ilya, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire will spend a year volunteering in Uganda, in East Africa. He will depart in August 2009.

Paula Smalley, at the Project Trust, said “Thank you so much again for your help, Ilya . . . was telling me about the difference your support has made.”


 

Funding awarded to athlete
June 2009

Luke Smallwood, a track athlete from Medway & Maidstone Athletics Club, has been awarded continued funding of £500 by the JWCT to help him continue his running career. Luke specialises in the 400m and 400m Hurdles, but also runs the 100m and 200m. Despite setbacks in the form of injury, this year he ran a sub 48s in the 400m, and 21.80s in the 200m (which put him 13th in the UK at U23 level and established a new club record).

Luke said “I wouldn’t say athletics is the driving force in my life, I would say it is my life! . . . The money will go along way to helping me, including additional treatments, which have really help me beat injury this year, helping me pay for warm weather training in Cyprus and buying a few extra bits of equipment which will help me through my training. When the track opens in Sutton Valance [a village near Maidstone where Luke lives] I’m sure we will obtain a higher level of members and therefore I will be looking to either assist current coaches there or maybe create a new group of my own.”


 

Mountaineering expedition to Kyrgyzstan funded
June 2009

A climbing expedition has received £500 towards making some repeat and first ascents on mountains in the Western Kokshall-Too Range in Kyrgyzstan. The experienced expedition members (five British and one Finnish) will attempt to make first ascents of the north ridge of Kizil Asker (5,842m), the east and west faces’ of Ochre Walls, the east face to north ridge and west face of Pik Sabor (4,850m), and the west and south faces of Pik Ljosha (4,716m). The expedition also plans to attempt some of the more technical routes on previously climbed peaks which form the southern boundary of the Fersmana glacier: Pik Neizvestniy (5,240m), Zastava (5,010m), Granitsa (5,370m) and Pogranichnik (5,220m).

Tom Bide, Carl Reilly, Graeme Schofield, David Gladwyn, Tom Stewart and Urpu Hapuoja will travel to the region in August 2009. Tom Stewart, expedition leader, explained that “this grant has made a big difference to us and we are extremely grateful.”


 

Conservation research funded
June 2009

Hannah Watson, of University of Bangor, has been awarded £250 by the JWCT for auklet conservation research and monitoring on the Farallon Islands, a group of islands and rocks found in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, 27 miles (43 km) outside the Golden Gate. Hannah (pictured with a rhinoceros auklet) explained “we monitor auklets [a small seabird] breeding in nest boxes across the island to understand reproductive success and how it varies with age, as well as monitoring what adults are feeding their chicks, which provides a wealth of information on productivity within the ocean.” Hannah, who is already on the islands has learnt many new field techniques and a great deal about bird behaviour and reproductive strategies.


 

Decathlete receives new grant
May 2009

Martin Brockman, a decathlete from Medway & Maidstone Athletics Club and the JWCT’s first ever grant recipient, has been awarded a second grant of £1,000 by the JWCT to help him continue his success. The multi-discipline sport, consisting of the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 metres, 110 metre hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1,500 metres, involves extensive training and high equipment costs. Martin over the last year has improved from 6,500 points to 7,000 points making him the tenth ranked decathlete and the third ranked under-23 decathlete in the UK.

The Willson Family have been particularly pleased how Martin has been able to inspire other young people through his coaching. Tricia Willson, Jeremy’s mother presented the cheque to Martin on 24 May, stating “Jeremy would be really pleased to see how his charity has helped such a hard-working and enthusiastic young athlete achieve his ambitions”.


 

JWCT continues support for promising archer
May 2009

Jacqui Gould, an archer from Maidstone, Kent, has been awarded a further grant by the JWCT to help her reach her goal of being on the British archery team and competing in the London Olympics 2012. She has achieved significant success over the last year, and is now ranked seventh in the UK. Additionally she has been awarded an elite performers package from Kent County Council, which includes three free sports science sessions and £1,000 for equipment and training.

Jacqui has unfortunately not been able to train over recent months following a car accident earlier in 2009 which left her with a fractured vertebrae and bed-bound for several weeks. Fortunately the injury should not impair Jacqui’s performance, though will reduce her mobility.

Matt, Jeremy’s twin brother, presented Jacqui with a £1,000 cheque on 24 May at her first training session following her accident. Matt said “we admire Jacqui’s drive and determination to succeed, despite such adversity in her personal life. Jeremy would be proud to support her.”


 

Young gymnast receives continuation funding
May 2009

The JWCT has awarded a further £1,000 to Nicole Watson, a 13 year-old gymnast (pictured with her coach Christine Still). Nicole has achieved great personal success over the past 12 months, including at the Australian Youth Olympics Festival in Sydney in January 2009. Despite a strained foot, Nicole hopes to be invited to the European Youth Olympics in Finland in July, provided she qualifies.

Nicole said "I managed to achieve a lot last year and much of it was due to your [the JWCT's] support. Qualifying for internationals adds a lot to my expenses as I have to do extra competitions as well as my usual national and regional ones. Thank you once again for coming to see me and for your support which helped me get in to the Australian Youth Olympics. Bringing a medal home for Britain is best thing I have done so far in gymnastics. . . Carry on the good work for the Jeremy Willson Charitable Trust, it is a wonderful cause.”

The Willson Family look forward to hearing more news from Nicole in the coming year.


 

JWCT awards additional funding to disabled multi-eventist
May 2009

Michael Pope, a young multi-eventist from Hertfordfordshire, has been awarded a further £750 grant from the JWCT via Sports Aid, a partner organisation. Michael has a form of dwarfism, but despite this performs at a high level in a range of disciplines including both field and racquet sports. The 14-year-old also encourages other disabled children to take part in sport by showing that you can succeed even with a disability. He said “I like to think I am a role model for other children with disabilities. I show them that we can succeed and to give them confidence. I always try to give encouragement and say you have to believe in yourself.” On 15 May he was runner-up in the Hertfordshire Young People of the Year Award for being a positive role model to other young disabled people. The teenager is a pupil at Bushey Meads School where he trains with other disabled children in a special unit called Base.

Michael wrote to the JWCT stating “I am very happy that you will continue to sponsor me . . . It will be a great help as I know it costs a lot for me to attend so many competitions all over the place. I have just returned from Largs in Scotland where I participated in the 4 Nations Disabled Badminton Competition last weekend representing England on the Dwarf Athletics Association Badminton Team. I am pleased to tell you that I won two trophies - I was runner up in the Mixed Doubles and winner of the Men’s Doubles.”

Michael has won a host of medals by taking part in the National Dwarf Games in Birmingham, the European Dwarf Games in Belfast and the World Dwarf Games in Paris. His ambition is to qualify for the Paralympics in London in 2012 and to represent Great Britain at shot putt and possibly discus and javelin.


 

Disabled skier receives further funding
May 2009

Ben Sneesby, a 14 year-old High Wycombe youngster, has been awarded a further £750 grant from the JWCT via Sports Aid. Sports Aid is a charity helping the next generation of young able-bodied and disabled British sportsmen and women to succeed.

Ben was born with a cancer which has caused his spinal injury, however he is a keen skier and wants to represent Great Britain in the sport. He has shown incredible talent to date and as such is on Great Britain’s Youth Development Team, including getting a chance to get his first race grading this summer in New Zealand with the Development Team.

The funding will help with his training, equipment and travel costs. Tom Willson, Jeremy’s brother, said that “the JWCT is pleased to be able to support Ben’s ambitions in skiing and help him to continue developing his skills on the slopes.”


 

Grant for glacier research in Italian Alps
May 2009

Belvedere Glacier

A project to assess glacier hazards has been funded with a grant of £1,000 from the Royal Geographical Society’s Jeremy Willson Award, funded by the JWCT. The Aberystwyth University expedition team (Matt Westoby, Alex Neen and John Balfour) will investigate recent ‘surging’ behaviour and hazard development on the Belvedere Glacier, a humid-temperate, heavily debris-covered glacier located in the Valle Anzasca, in the Italian Alps. Their studies will look into how glacier recession and the subsequent development of glacier-related hazards have both greatly accelerated the risk of glacial lake outburst floods which have been widely reported in regions including the Karakoram and Nepal Himalaya.

Matt emphasised the importance of the research stating “studies of the dynamics and factors that influence melting on debris-covered glaciers are rare, and so any data gathered are invaluable since the contribution to global sea level rise from the melting of these high-mountain ice masses is deemed to be significant (due to their location, such glaciers will experience some of the most pronounced warming and subsequent recession in the face of future climate change) and currently overlooked by the majority of global climate change models.”

The data gathered during the expedition will form the basis of two Masters theses (for Matt and Alex) and a complementary project for John, who has recently been accepted to read for an MSc Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway. The team departs for Macugnaga in June 2009. Matt added that he would like to “thank the Jeremy Willson Charitable Trust and the Willson family for your generous support towards our fieldwork activities.”


 

Equipment provided for climate change research in Himalayas
April 2009

The JWCT has contributed over £400 towards vital scientific equipment for an expedition in the Indian Himalayan region of Ladakh from 27 July to 28 August 2009. The funds have been provided to Tim Ward-Wilson, who has an unpaid internship with the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES).

The expedition is primarily, a scientific expedition with many different studies taking place simultaneously. Tim commented “Ladakh is widely recognised as one of the most important areas in the world to observe the effects of climate change and as such, we will be investigating glacial run-off and surveying the glaciers for a comparative study to be possible in the future. There will also be an ecology survey which will compare the results from last year’s expedition, a study of the geology of the moraines in the area, and a survey on physiology. The physiology will be only the second study on the effects of altitude on juvenile adults . . . The area has only recently been opened up to visitors and because of this there are unlimited numbers of new mountaineering objectives.

The expedition is taking place with BSES as a medium for personal development for the young people taking part. For many, it will be the first time mountaineering, and even their first time away on their own. It is hoped that they will come away with a greater sense of self, and having further developed their leadership and teamwork skills, as well as a love for wilderness exploration.

The JWCT is funding five temperature/relative humidity data loggers and a Buchner funnel filtering kit (used to remove moisture from riverbed sediment samples); this equipment will remain with the BSES for future expeditions. Tim added “the science is going to be done in conjunction with major scientific institutions such as WWF-India and the MET Office. All of the results will be made public and the physiology will hopefully lead to a published scientific paper.”


 

Chile volunteer receives grant for year out
March 2009

Hannah Farrall, from Chester, has been provided with a grant of £500 from the JWCT for a year volunteering in Chile. Hannah said “I have to raise £4,660 to help fund my year . . . and this grant will help considerably with my fund raising efforts especially since at this time of economic uncertainty people feel they cannot donate to too many different causes.”

So far to raise funds Hannah has been working extra hours at her part time job and is organising bag-packing at local supermarkets, selling donated items on Ebay, and directly approaching charitable trusts and family and friends.

Hannah, who will work as a volunteer teacher at William Wilson Anglican School in Chol-Chol, near Temuco, added “I want to volunteer for a year with Project Trust because I would like to be able to see other countries and experience life in their culture as more than just a tourist, while proving a beneficial service to others and challenging myself.” She will travel to Santiago, Chile’s capital in August or September 2009.

Tom Willson, JWCT trustee, said “Jeremy, as a former Project Trust volunteer, would be pleased to know that his charity is helping others have such an amazing life-changing experience.”


 

Volcanic hazard research in Guatemala funded
December 2008

Samantha Engwell, a Masters student at Bristol University, received £300 towards a field trip to Guatemala in January 2009 to help assess the risk posed by volcanoes and other associated hazards to the people of Guatemala. Samantha is currently studying towards an MSc Natural Hazards, having graduated from Edinburgh University in June 2008. The experiences and lessons learned will contribute to a similar risk assessment study on the Galeras volcano, Colombia.

Samantha explained that “the trip will include mapping a lava flow from the Pacaya volcano that will endanger nearby towns if it continues on its present course. Mapping the flow will allow a risk assessment for the nearby towns to be completed and will also help to educate those living nearby about the dangers of living in the vicinity of a live volcano. The trip will also give me the opportunity to analyse community response to volcanic hazards and evacuation procedures and to see how similar practices may be put in place in Colombia. Guatemala has been affected by a great number of volcanic hazards over recent decades and seeing their effect on nearby communities first hand will allow me to try to help other communities threatened by the same hazards.”

Matt Willson, a JWCT trustee, said of Samantha’s expedition, “it compliments Jeremy’s interests well, since he was a keen vulcanologist and had travelled throughout Guatemala. He would in particular have been interested to read the technical aspects of the research.”


 

Two Project Trust volunteers funded
December 2008

The JWCT has provided £500 each to two Project Trust volunteers, Louise Eddie and Natasha Wilson. Project Trust provides young people with an opportunity to understand a community overseas by immersing themselves in it, living and working there for a year. Both girls struggled to raise funds from their local communities so the JWCT grants were very welcome.

Louise’s placement is in South Africa working with children in Johannesburg at the Cotlands Baby Sanctuary, a non-governmental organisation offering shelter, medical and psychological care to abused and abandoned babies with AIDS. Louise explained “I see my gap year as a unique opportunity in which I hope I will learn to understand a different culture and new way of life. I also believe it will have a huge impact on me as a person. I think it will enable me to be more open minded and willing to at least attempt anything. I am sure it will give me the courage to explore things for myself and have a different outlook on the world.”

Natasha, 17, will be placed at the Outward Bound School in South Africa. She is busy applying for her work permit and is due to start this project in January 2009 and has held a number of successful fundraising events, including running in the Dunfermline Half Marathon. Natasha said “I am a seventeen year old student who is passionate about contributing something to the world I live in, I am a fun-loving, very sporty type of girl and Project Trust has really brought me out of my shell.”


 

Glaciological investigations in Arctic Sweden
October 2008

Alessandro Gusmeroli, a 24 year-old postgraduate student at the Glaciology Group at Swansea University has been awarded £1,000 towards an expedition in the Kebnekaise massif in Lapland, Arctic Sweden. Kebnekaise is Sweden’s highest mountain at 2,103 m above sea level. The research involves the development of innovative measurement techniques and acquiring geophysical data to measure ice properties of Storglaciaren, one of the best studied glaciers in the world. Alessandro informed the JWCT that “the data collected from this expedition will provide a significant step forward in several important glaciological topics such as glacier ice flow and response of ice masses to climatic changes.” Alessandro hopes to publish these findings in scientific peer-reviewed journals on completion of his fieldwork.

Alessandro, an Italian national with extensive winter mountaineering experience, received funding for travel and accommodation costs at Tarfala research station as well as shipping of equipment for his expedition.


  Young fencer receives grant
August 2008

Joe Littler, a promising young fencer from Broomfield, Sheffield, has been provided with a grant of £1,000 by the JWCT. Joe has been selected to be part of the national under-17 fencing squad, despite only being 14, but needs funding to help with the costs of fencing blades, travel and entry fees to domestic and international events, and training costs.

He is working towards qualifying for the World Championships 2009. To do this he needs to achieve ranking points by fencing at a minimum of three home and three international competitions. He trains three times a week, swims and does circuit training to improve his fitness.

Joe is a pupil at King Edwards Secondary School and a member of Sheffield Buccaneers Fencing Club. Find out more about him at www.fencing.joelittler.co.uk.


 

Grant for 400m athlete
May 2008

Luke Smallwood, an athlete at Jeremy’s former running club Medway & Maidstone Athletics Club, has been given a grant of £1,000.

Luke, from Bearsted in Kent has previously competed for Great Britain in the European Under 20 Championships and in the future aims to compete in the European Under 23 Championships, the Commonwealth Games 2010, World Championships 2011 and the Olympics 2012. He specialises in the 400m and 400m Hurdles. As a full-time athlete Luke requires funds to cover training, equipment and travel costs to enable him to achieve his ambitions.

As part of the funding he will continue to coach young talented sprinters aged 11-15 years old at the Hoo Running Track where he trains.


 

Additional funding provided to decathlete
May 2008

The JWCT has awarded further funding of £1,000 to Martin Brockman, a promising young decathlete with Medway & Maidstone Athletics Club.

Martin said “since receiving funding from the JWCT a year ago, I have had great success in both competition and in coaching. The money has allowed me to purchase essential equipment necessary for my training. So far I have used the money to purchase a number of event specific shoes, including sprinting, jumping, high jumping, throws and middle distance shoes, as well as two pairs of trainers. As well as this I have also purchased my own discus and shot to practise with.” Martin added that his performance this year following second places at the South of England Championships held in Bedford and the Kent Multi-Event Championships held at Erith Stadium “has given me great confidence for the forthcoming 2008 season and I hope to go back to the Kent Championships and not only win but break the championship record which stands at over 6800pts.”


 

Young disabled skiier funded
May 2008

Ben Sneesby, a 13-year-old up-and-coming alpine skier from High Wycombe, has received £750 from the JWCT via Sports Aid, a partner organisation of the JWCT. Ben is a member of the British Junior Development team and will be competing competitively this year after showing tremendous talent despite the tough physical challenges of his disability. At three months old Ben was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that affects children up to the age of 14 and known to be one of the most vicious forms of cancer. Ben's tumour was sited in his spine and his abdomen. This has resulted in a spinal injury, so he has no sensation in his left leg and only partial sensation in his right leg. Ben has had chemotherapy treatment and surgery for the removal of the residual tumour, and has also had to undergo numerous operations on his feet, legs and hips to correct his bone growth. Ben’s mother, Janet Sneesby, said: “Sport means so much to Ben, he derives such pleasure and self esteem from it.”

 

Disabled multi-eventist receives grant
May 2008

Michael Pope, 13, from Bricket Wood, has received a £750 grant from the JWCT via Sports Aid, a partner organisation of the JWCT. Michael is in the top-five in multi-eventing in the UK, and a member of the British team.

Michael has a form of dwarfism however he does not let this stop him from competing in a range of sports including shot putt, discus, javelin, basketball, football, hockey, cricket and badminton. He also plays boccia, a sport for athletes with a disability. Similar to bocce, it is designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy and other locomotor disabilities affecting motor skills. It is a Paralympic sport, played in over forty countries worldwide.

He started playing sport when he was just six after he joined the Dwarf Athletic Association and was encouraged to discover his hidden talent, taking part in the 2005 World Dwarf Games in Paris for the first time.

Michael’s mother Maria said “Sport has given Michael a real purpose and a sense of self-belief, a sense of achievement despite his disability. It is very character-building but he thoroughly enjoys participating and has met so many people and made great friendships. He has made great progress this year and has the determination and enthusiasm to succeed.


 

Geological research in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
April 2008

Aisha Al-Sawaidi, a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford, has been provided with a grant of £1,000 towards her research project fieldwork in Argentina. The funding has been provided through the JWCT’s partner, the Geological Society of London. Aisha’s research project entitled 'Geochemical and Sedimentological Characterisation of the Early Toarcian (Jurassic) Ocean Anoxic Event in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina' will take her to a remote part of northern Patagonia, Argentina, an area characterised by sandstones, mudstones, and limestones laced with marine fossils. The funds will contribute to travel, accommodation, food and supplies costs. Aisha hopes to publish peer-reviewed papers describing her work.


 

Grant for young gymnast Nicole Watson
April 2008

12-year old gymnast Nicole Watson has received £1,000 from the JWCT to help with the costs of equipment, training, travel and accommodation in relation to training and competitions.

Nicole receives training from the World Class Start Scheme however does not receive any financial assistance. Nicole said the funding would “help me greatly not having financial pressure on top of the 20 hours a week it takes for me to train” and added “I love my sport . . . the money will help me carry on competing for my country and hopefully I'll be able to get to the Olympics.”

Nicole’s coach Christine Still said “Nicole is a very talented and dedicated young gymnast; she has already represented GB in junior international competitions and shows a great temperament for high pressure competition”.


 

Specialist sailing dinghy for the disabled
April 2008

Stubbers Adventure Centre, an outdoor adventure centre in Upminster, Essex, received £3,305 in April 2008 from the JWCT to pay for the full costs of an Access 303 Wide sailing dinghy.

The dinghy is specifically designed for use by disabled sailors who are unable to use standard fit sailing dinghies. It has a ballast centerboard, is steered with a joystick, and has a self tacking jib. The ease of operation brings the thrills and pleasures of sailing to those with a broad spectrum of disabilities. The ballast means it cannot capsize, and is self righting if knocked down in a violent gust.

The dinghy is able to be sailed by two people thus making them ideal for volunteers to co-sail with sailors requiring support. Stubbers Adventure Centre is a charitable organisation.


 

Cave expedition research funded, Austria
March 2008

The Cambridge Cave Science Expedition 2008 has been given a grant of £1,000 from the Royal Geographical Society’s Jeremy Willson Award, funded by the JWCT. This project aims to maintain and expand a microclimate research system established in 2007, to record microclimatic conditions in Steinbrückenhöhle, Austria.

The team will retrieve a year-long dataset recorded by thermistors which were left in the cave at the end of last summer, recording once every hour. This dataset will allow the extension of understanding gained regarding the dynamics of temperature cyclicities in Steinbrückenhöhle to longer periodicities, and observe seasonal effects.

A documentary exploring the planning and execution of a major expedition is planned to paint a picture of expedition life and trials and triumphs of venturing into the unknown. The film will be an accessible introduction to modern cave exploration and techniques, as well as a depiction of the social landscape of a caving expedition.


 

Young explorers to Norway and USA
February 2008

Stuart Lansdale, a 17 year-old from Dorset has been provided with a grant of £400 to participate in an unsupported expedition to circumnavigate and then climb Mt Rainier (14,411ft) via the Emmons Winthrop Glacier, the largest glacier by area in the USA. Mount Rainier is an active Cascade volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and glacial ice. Stuart also plans to canoe for seven days through the wilderness of Bowron National Park, during which time he should see plenty of wildlife from black bears to moose.

John Francis, a Scout from Maidstone in Kent, has received £250 from the JWCT to cover his flight and in-country travel costs for an expedition to a remote area of Norway. The expedition is to help John achieve his Explorer Belt. The Explorer Belt is the challenge of a lifetime, which is open to Explorer Scouts aged over 16 and members of the Scout Network. It is a chance to take part in a ten-day expedition that brings a real understanding of a different country, its people and way of life.




The Jeremy Willson Charitable Trust
a charity registered in England and Wales. No. 1114871