Olympic dreams

As the sailing waters regain their calm in the after-glow of the Olympic Games, the waves of inspiration continue to ripple through, reminding Olympian hopefuls of what could one day be their reality.

Becoming the next Ben Ainslie is a dream of many and one that can’t be achieved without sacrifice, determination, and indeed, support. Whatever their sport, New Forest District Council is keen to see sportspeople reach their full potential by supporting them in their ambitions. “We recognise that becoming the best takes a lot of hard work and we hope that our support will help athletes achieve their dreams,” said Cllr Barry Rickman, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and youth matters.

“We are committed to making sure that everyone, irrespective of disability or standard of play, has the opportunity to access sport and enjoy their leisure time,” he added.

Through membership of Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight, a county sports partnership, the district council offers free use of its health and leisure centre training facilities to local sportspeople wanting to move up in their game. Funding schemes offered by the partnership include the Free Access for National Sportspeople (FANS) scheme, which Lymington sailor Pippa Wilson benefited from before progressing onto the Olympic funding programme.

But support from the district council doesn’t stop here. With the London 2012 Paralympics offering opportunities for those in Physical, Sensory and, new to 2012, Intellectual categories, there is every chance that disabled competitors from across the New Forest may be looking for support in order to compete.

“Our Applemore Health and Leisure centre is an accredited Inclusive Fitness Initiative site, with specially adapted equipment for disabled users and trained personnel dedicated to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to access sport,” said Cllr Rickman.

“We also run a Multisports Club here in partnership with Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Connexions and Hampshire County Youth Service, which gives young people with learning, physical and sensory difficulties, an opportunity to take part in physical activity.”

Becoming the Olympic host country for 2012, watching the success of local Olympians like Ben and realising the support available, will surely inspire more hopefuls from the New Forest to fulfil their Olympic dreams.