Eight Orkney athletes set to benefit from travel scheme grant

Eight of Orkney’s top young athletes will benefit from funding of up to £1,500 each in a bid to ease the burden of travel costs.

Tommy Ballantine (badminton), Glen Brough (rugby), Amy Golder (kickboxing), Mia McAllister (swimming), Rachel Evans (dressage), Tia Whitton (climbing), Andrew Torbet (squash) and Adele Flett (golf) have been announced as the first recipients of the Islands Athlete Travel Award scheme.

The three-year pilot scheme, which will support up to 24 high-performing athletes from across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles as they attend training and competitions, was announced in February.

Sportscotland allocated £10,000, with each local authority topping this up with £2,000 of their own funding, plus the equivalent of £3,000 of management and administrative time.

Each athlete had to demonstrate how the grant will improve their performance, provide them access to quality training opportunities and improve their sports or club environment.

Councillor Rob Crichton is chair of Orkney Islands Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, and said: “Orkney enjoys a vibrant, diverse sporting scene and there are many talented athletes excelling in their field — but travel costs are a very real and significant disadvantage for those striving to take their performance up to that elite level.

“I’m delighted that for these eight local athletes, that hurdle has been lowered, thanks to the recognition by sportscotland of the need to give practical financial support to help islands athletes compete on a level playing field.”