Mitre 10 Mega Future Champions Trust grants given out to top young Whanganui sportspeople

Sarah Gibson (FCT Trustee) with Future Champions Pippa McKee, Angus Sewell, Thor Darlington, and Ron Cheatley (FCT Trustee). Photo / Supplied

Grants have been given out to support some of Whanganui's top young sportspeople.

The latest Mitre 10 Mega Future Champions Trust grants were presented on Wednesday at the Whanganui Secondary School Sports Awards at Whanganui City College.

The trust aimed to give local Whanganui people and businesses an opportunity to support talented young sportspeople with a "hand-up" to reach their full potential at an international level in their chosen sport.

The recipients this year were canoeist Angus Sewell, rugby league player Max Walsh, Thor Darlington for squash, Jordyn Leiasamaivao-Turvey for indoor volleyball, and artistic roller skater Pippa McKee.

McKee will be competing in the Americas Cup Roller Skating Championship in Orlando, USA, in January next year.

Sewell was selected to and has already represented New Zealand in the Asia Pacific Canoe Sprint Cup that was held in Komatsu, Japan in September.

Walsh was selected as part of the inaugural NZ physical disability rugby league team to travel to the World Cup held in Warrington, England in October 2022.

Darlington was selected for the NZ secondary school junior boys team to play in the Trans-Tasman Squash Competition in Brisbane, Australia in August.

Jordyn Leiasamaivao-Turvey was selected for the NZ Under 20 Development Men's
Team to play at the Junior Volleyball Championships in Sydney and Canberra, Australia in July 2022.

The athletes and their representatives were invited to attend the function, where the trust and its supporters acknowledged their achievements to date, and wished them well for their future endeavours.

The Future Champions Trust has been operating for eight years and has granted $72,000 towards high-achieving young sportspeople in Whanganui.

Funding rounds are held twice annually, at the end of March and September, and the trust received generous donations from Mitre 10 Mega in Whanganui and a variety of other businesses and individuals.

The trust said all levels of support were appreciated, and interested businesses were encouraged to contact the trust through its website or email enquiries@futurechampionstrust.org.