THIS year Basingstoke and Deane Brough Council has allocated £6,500 in grant aid for support and development of local sportsmen and women.

Around 100 applications were received and these were narrowed down to those who received grant aid cheques at the awards night and a special mayor's reception.

As well as this the Basingstoke Sports Trust and the Basingstoke Community Leisure Trust gave out 25 scholarships.

Basingstoke Sports Trust which is based at Sports Centre in Festival Place gave 11 recipients the chance to use their facilities for free of charge.

They went to Morgan Sadler (dance), Harry Richardson, Liam Hignett (tennis), Alex Stock (taekwondo), Nathan Rutherford (basketball), Zane Sewell and James Feighery-Murphy (karate), Andy Blow and James Beeks (athletics), Daisy Coleman (powerboat Racing) and Farah Fonseca (weightlifting).

The 14 scholarships awarded by the Basingstoke Community Leisure Trust which allows free use of the Aquadrome, Tadley Swimming Pool and Basingstoke Golf Centre was given to Maddie Deadman (athletics), Samantha Girle, William Sadler, Charlyne and Julia Lebosse, Fleur Parker, Spencer Turner, Zoe Sadler, Lizzie Godfrey and Ollie Espinasse (swimming), Ben Bushnell (golf), Michelle Rounding (cheerleading, ice and field Hockey), Ned Kater (waterpolo) and Tracy Hare (triathlon)