THE Olympic and Paralympic games have enthused the nation and created a fantastic feel-good factor for us all to build on with healthy sport and activity at its heart.

For a rural county with limited facilities, Herefordshire did very well to produce four 2012 paralympic medallists in Josie Pearson (discuss gold), Sascha and Nyree Kindred (silver swimming medal each) and James Bevis (air rifle bronze). The challenge now is to help more able bodied and less abled athletes from the county to succeed at games in future.

Schools have a major role to play in introducing children and young people to as wide a variety of sports and activities as possible. Sports clubs can then provide specialist coaching and support in their chosen sport. Aspiring elite athletes often need to seek further development and competition outside the county to fulfill their potential.

The Sports Bursary, 'Ready, Steady, Win' is looking to help such aspirants and their parents cover some of the extra expense that this involves. Based on a partnership between Herefordshire Council and local businesses, 'Ready, Steady, Win' considers each application for support on its own merits and seeks to spread its funding as far and as wide as possible. 'Ready, Steady, Win' is a perfect fit with the London 2012's aim of 'inspiring a generation'. Interested athletes or their parents should email Jan at [email protected]">[email protected] for further details.

Companies, organisations or individuals who would like to contribute to 'Ready, Steady, Win' should please contact: