Volunteers are being sought to back Suffolk’s top athletes and help them compete on the national, international and world stage.

The Suffolk SportsAid Foundation was launched last December to raise money for the athletes, who on average spend around £5,000 a year on training and travel.

Now it is looking for volunteers to:
· organise fund-raising lunches;
· get financial support from local businesses;
· promote the foundation to athletes across the county;
· raise the profile of athletes supported by the foundation;
· maximise publicity for business partners; and
· run the foundation’s website.

Lisa Chambers, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for economic and cultural development, said: “Suffolk’s top young athletes give so much to pursue their sporting dreams – on average they train for 17 hours a week and travel 650 miles a month to train and compete.

“The foundation was set up to raise money to help them achieve their dream of being the best. Around £40,000 has been raised so far, but now we need help both to raise more money and to publicise the work of the foundation.

“We are looking for passionate, committed and talented individuals with a range of talents from event management to publicity and computer skills.

“In return we offer an exciting opportunity to be involved in securing Suffolk’s sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to contribute to developing elite sport in Suffolk.”

To find out more about volunteering go to the foundation’s website: www.suffolksportsaid.com

The Suffolk SportsAid Foundation is a joint initiative between SportsAid, the national charity for sports people, Suffolk Sport, the County Sports Partnership and Rising to the Challenge Suffolk, the campaign to maximise the benefits for Suffolk from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It provides grants of between £250 and £500 to Suffolk athletes.