In the final week where votes matter, athletes and celebrities show support for national sport body, Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) as the organisation’s #CannyCause campaign gains momentum in raising awareness of its nomination in the National Lottery Good Causes.
Sport England TASS has been shortlisted from more than 600 projects nationwide and the organisation, which is headquartered in the North East, is asking members of the public to vote for them in the prestigious awards. Voting closes midnight Wednesday July 29th 2015 and TASS are asking members of the public to support young athletes with their education and training by voting for them via http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/project/sport-england-tass
TASS is the only North East based scheme nominated in the sports category and provides training, support and education for a total of almost 5,000 athletes nationally, including Olympic champion Becky Adlington and Paralympic champion Natasha Baker. It helps athletes balance higher or further education with the commitments and pressures of high-performance sport, giving access to gyms, training centres, physiotherapy, equipment, coaching and training camps. It has helped to produce almost 150 Olympic and Paralympic medallists and is globally-recognised for its impact on British sport.
Beneficiaries include former Olympic champions Rebecca Adlington (swimming) and Amy Williams (skeleton) as well as reigning Paralympic champions Natasha Baker (equestrian) and David Stone (cycling). Fifteen members of the England squad that won last year’s women’s Rugby World Cup are also products of the scheme.
Triple Paralympic champion Stephen Miller is pictured showing his support in backing TASS in its award nomination in the National Lottery Awards 2015. Stephen Miller comments: “sport bodies such as TASS do a fantastic job in supporting young athletes with their training and development and also in their education and I’d encourage anyone to please vote for TASS in the Lottery Good Causes awards.”
Celebrities and athletes have taken to social media to show their support and include Steve Cram, Jonathan Edwards, Louis Smith, Stephen Miller and John Barrowman.
Rebecca Adlington comments: “It’s not only senior internationalists such as Olympians that require a good support structure if they are to be successful. Developing age-group athletes also need support if they are to progress to the senior stage. Being on the TASS programme as an age-grouper helped with additional financial backing to support my parents and helped me access support I might not have used, such as sports medicine and sports science.”
Guy Taylor, National Scheme Director at TASS comments: “We’re delighted to have reached the finals of the awards, we feel it is recognition of our work over the past ten years to ensure young talented people reach their potential in both sport and education, especially in the North East of England. Everybody deserves the opportunity to follow their dreams and our aim is to help them do this. Please vote for TASS!”