THREE young sporting hopefuls have been awarded second grants from local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT).

Triathlete Peta Jarvis, runner Hannah Seager and cyclist Rebecca Laurel have all successfully applied for a second Inspire Award from the JHMT.

Inspire Awards are small grants of up to £500 from the JHMT. The awards were set up to help young people aged 13-21 from Leicester and Leicestershire to fulfil their ambitions in the fields of music, arts, sports, entrepreneurism and community endeavour. Since the awards' inception in 2014, more than £30,000 has been awarded to help more than 160 young people to do some amazing things.

The JHMT was set up in memory of Leicester teenager Joe Humphries, who collapsed and died in October 2012 while out jogging near his family home in Rothley, Leicestershire. Joe was a victim of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) – a group of lethal heart diseases which can cause sudden cardiac death in young people. The JHMT provides free CPR training, helps to fund community defibrillators and campaigns for better understanding of SADS, as well as running the Inspire Awards.

Simon Taylor, Inspire lead for the JHMT said: "We're very proud of the relationships we develop with the young people who benefit from an Inspire Award. They stay in touch with us to let us know how they're getting on, often blogging about their achievements on our website, or using their skills to help out the Trust.

"It's an immense privilege to be able to help so many enthusiastic young people to achieve their goals through the Inspire Awards and I'm delighted that we're able to help out lots of these young people with a second, or even a third, award. Congratulations and well done to them all."

Peta, age 18, from Loughborough, was selected by British Triathlon to compete at the Junior Super League event in Jersey, and applied to Inspire for help. "I was fortunate enough to get an Inspire award for the same race a couple of years ago, where I was originally selected as a reserve," she says. "That inspired me to train harder to gain full selection last year, which I am really proud to have achieved." Her £200 award has helped her with the costs of competing.

Hannah, age 18, from Loughborough, has used her £200 grant to help her pursue her passion for running. "I run competitively for Charnwood Athletics Club, competing in cross country events all around the UK," she says. "The grant goes towards travel and accommodation, plus physio costs to prevent my re-occurring injuries. I am so grateful for both the awards I've had." Her aim is to place top five in the Midlands championship in January and "just do my best at Nationals and see where I come, all whilst still enjoying the sport."

Twenty-year-old Rebecca, from Leicester, applied for another grant to further develop her skills as a cycling coach. Funding she received in 2018 was used to complete her Level 2 cyclocross and track coaching courses. "I don't have my own coaching equipment, so will use this further £250 grant to get my own set," she says. "My aim is to become the best coach I can possibly be, get more children riding bikes and deliver sessions to riders preparing for races. This grant will help me achieve this."

To find out more about the work of JHMT and the Inspire Awards, visit www.jhmt.org.uk