Eight more talented young people from Leicestershire & Leicester benefit from JHMT's Inspire Awards grants scheme

Aalayah Clarke, Benjamin Shadbolt, Baily Smith, Emma Stewart, Mia Anderson Stroud, Christan Abel, Joseph Greaves, and Alyssa Hillier have each received Inspire Awards from local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) to help them reach their goals in sport, creative arts, music, community, and business.

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, £59,000 has been awarded to help 282 young people move a step nearer to achieving their goals.

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 small grants scheme to support young people.

Aalayah Clarke is 15 years of age and from Leicester. Despite having to cope with being profoundly deaf from birth, Aalayah has channelled her energies and passion into becoming a very accomplished young athlete/footballer. This talent has since taken Aalayah to representing her country on the international stage in such a short space of time. Her current goal is to represent Great Britain in the Deaflympics in Tokyo – November 2025. This includes a full-on commitment to attend training camp in Doncaster every other weekend. Qualifiers start in September 2024 at home against Poland then the squad fly out to play Turkey away on 5th October.

Aalayah said: "I am so grateful to receive a JHMT Inspire Award grant (£400) as it has helped me purchase essential equipment etc so I can follow my dream to represent my country at the highest level."

Bailey Moore is 13 years old and from Ashby De La Zouch, Leicestershire. He's been involved in **Brazilian jiujitsu (bjj) (a form of martial arts) from a very young age (6 years old). As a member of the Gracie barra club in Derby for the past seven years, Bailey has gained the experience to help him develop key personal and social skills that can be applied to everyday life. Bailey's dedication and hard work has already resulted in a number of notable achievements in his sport so far including In 2022, winning an elite World Championships gold and the UK Compnet Regional champion.

Bailey has been on the competition team for around four years and up to now has only been able to take part in local competitions. The Inspire grant will help him to travel and take part in some bigger competitions which are recognised within the sport. Bailey aims to teach jujitsu when he is older and is hoping that ju jitsu will become an Olympic sport in the near future.

Bailey said: "The JHMT Inspire award grant (£300) will help me to compete at an international level and continue my journey in ju jitsu, I'm grateful for their support."

Emma Stewart is 19 years of age and from Market Harborough, Leicestershire. She is studying Sport and Exercise Science as a student at the University of Nottingham alongside her passion for Rowing at Leicester Rowing Club and University of Nottingham. She currently trains up to 14 times per week, which involves many early mornings. Having competed at local, national and international level events in small and larger crew boats, Emma is quick to highlight the positive impact all her coaches have had on her journey at each and every level of stage in the sport. Emma is now keen to also embark on her own journey as a coach to help other young people get involved in the sport and develop their skills in Rowing.

Emma said: I'm incredibly grateful to the Joe Humphries Trust for their support and awarding me with the Inspire grant (£300). The grant will help financially support me in obtaining a qualification allowing me to develop and independently coach junior and novice rowers. This has been an ambition of mine for a long time. The coaches and members of Leicester Rowing Club have supported me continually over the years, and I would now like to support and inspire others in their development in rowing."

Mia Anderson Stroud is 17 years of age from Oadby, Leicestershire. This is another talented young performer who already has a wealth of experience in her chosen fields of Tap, Ballet, Pointe, Modern Jazz and musical theatre. Mia has a passion for the creative arts and this dedication, has resulted with an opportunity to go to Birmingham Hippodrome and dance with her dance school.

Mia said: " I hope to go to drama school in September 2025. That's why I am so incredibly grateful that JHMT have helped me with an Inspire grant (£300) so I am able to gain more experience and to help my journey continue."

Joseph Greaves is 20 years of age and lives in Loughborough. Joe was diagnosed as autistic and having significant learning disabilities aged two. With a strong support network behind him, Joe has excelled in his swimming and with encouragement and being a very determined and talented young athlete is now on a special swimming performance programme in Nottingham. He is ranked in the top 10 in the UK for 100 fly, 200 IM and 200 free.

Joe's ambition is to achieve qualifying times for the Paralympics 2028 in USA. After the British Championships 2024, Joe hopes to be invited to the Podium Potential program with Aquatics GB (British swimming). He is currently on a performance program and doing DISE (talented athlete programme).

Joe said: I'm grateful for being given an Inspire Award grant (£350) to help offset some key competition expenses and equipment including race suits."

Kristan Abel is 14 years of age and from Rutland. He's made huge strides forward in a short space of time since he stated playing American Football. Already this has resulted in being selected for his country in both U15s non-contact Flag Football and U17s Contact Football. His first game playing contact for the GB Lions he was selected to captain the offensive team,

One of his long-term goals is to study and train/play with the NFL academy at Loughborough College post GCSEs. This is a selection process and only for the top 5% of talented athletes that apply. This will potentially open up further academic opportunities to study at a NCAA University in America.

In the interim, Kisten wants to gain further international competition experience having been selected to travel to Denmark in September for a match v Grindavik Iceland Also, he's hoping to be selected to take part in the European Flag Championships in September, which will be held in Serbia.

Kristian said: " Being awarded an Inspire grant ( £300) from the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust is a really big honour and I feel truly privileged to be supported on my journey in this way. The Inspire grants are fantastic at supporting so many young talent people. "

Benjamin Shadbolt is 16 years of age and from Leicester. Despite having a diagnosis of Autism and Dyspraxia and having to overcome many challenges, he hasn't allowed anything to hold him back both inside and outside the classroom. Ben's most recent achievement to date was his vision and determination to help other SEND students at The City of Leicester College. Ben took it upon himself to apply for an Inspire grant support to help his school, The City of Leicester College, to provide specialist sensory equipment for a new school space for SEND students. The new sensory room will provide a space where students can regulate their emotions.

Ben said: " The Inspire grant award (£1000 – with support from Bradgate Rotary) has helped me achieve my overall aim for the sensory room. We can now have somewhere where students are able to regulate and calm their emotions, so they are able to be supported and respected in school."

Alyssa Hillier is 17 years of age and was awarded a 2^nd Inspire grant (£225.00) towards attending and performing with the True Blue Dance Academy team in Disneyland Florida next August 2025.

Steve Humphries, Joe's Dad & Chair of JHMT, said: " Once again, everyone involved with the Inspire awards at JHMT have been mighty impressed by the recent round of Inspire applications sent in by very talented and determined young people from across all corners of the city and county. The levels of resilience, determination, and willingness to go the extra mile to achieve their individual goals is truly awe inspiring! We are delighted that the JHMT Inspire grants scheme which marks **10 years this year continue to make such a positive difference to the aspirations of many young people as we hoped they would when the awards were first launched in 2014, as part of Joe's legacy."

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

(**The JHMT Inspire awards marks its 10^TH YEAR since the launch of the grants scheme for young people, 13 – 21 years old, from across Leicester and Leicestershire held at a fundraising gala dinner/auction at Leicester Tigers in 2014 & sponsored by Gateley PLC )