Fourteen-year-old Alex Norton, from Anstey Heights, Leicester, has been given a £400 grant to put towards racking up even more amazing climbing achievements.

The money is from the Inspire Awards, a small grants scheme run by the JHMT that helps young people fulfill their goals in sports, the arts, community activities and entrepreneurship.

The JHMT stepped in to encourage Alex to apply for an Inspire Award after reading about his call for support in the Leicester Mercury.

Rhonda Olsen, who is on the Inspire Awards panel for the JHMT, said: "Alex is exactly the sort of person the Inspire Awards were set up to support. Alex needs funding to help him represent Britain on an international stage, and that's where we can help.

"Local young people who have a talent and a passion for something should apply to the Inspire Awards - we're always pleased to consider applications."

Alex is rated number one in his age group in the UK for lead climbing, which involves scaling indoor walls using ropes. He has won the Junior Lead Climbing Cup and has been selected by the Great Britain youth climbing team.

Alex will be competing in Austria, Italy and France in the coming months.

He said: "I'm delighted to have got a JHMT Inspire Award. It's been a great honour to be selected for the GB youth climbing team – it's something I have worked long and hard for.

"My long-term aim to progress to the senior team and climb for Britain at that level. The JHMT Inspire Award will help me on the way to achieve that aim.

He added: "With my climbing background, I know all about the importance of competing safely, so I fully support the JHMT's aim to ensure sports clubs and schools have access to life-saving training and equipment. That's why I'm looking forward to taking on the role of a JHMT ambassador at club, national and international level."

This week, the JHMT is also launching Inspire Talks – a series of talks taking place for students at De Lisle College, in Loughborough.

Guests from the world of design, art, film and more will be invited into the school to talk to students about their lives and career choices. The first guest will be Dave Andrews, from Radio Leicester, who will be visiting the school this Thursday (16^th).

Terry Sharp from De Lisle said: "The Inspire Talks will be really relaxed and informal – just a chance for students to ask questions and meet people who are doing these jobs for real.

"The event will also see two young people who have already benefited from Inspire Awards being presented with JHMT tee-shirts."

Tee-shirts will be presented to Josh Gilbert-Weavers, who received an Inspire Award to help him set up his own video production company, and musician Remy Madge, who was given an award to help her buy equipment such as an amplifier to help her perform.

To find out more about the Inspire Awards and how to apply, visit www.jhmt.org.uk/inspire

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust was set up after the tragic death of 14-year-old De Lisle student Joe Humphries in October 2012. Joe collapsed and died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) while out on a run.

Since then, the JHMT has campaigned tirelessly for greater awareness and understanding of sudden heart diseases like SADS and how they can affect young people.

The JHMT runs life-saving training for sports clubs, provides defibrillators for community settings and runs an annual medical conference on SADS, as well as running the Inspire Awards.

To find out more, visit www.jhmt.org.uk