Member Article

Young pentathlete aims for gold

A leading housebuilder has funded a young girl who looks to become a professional British pentathlete.

Persimmon Homes Wessex has donated £750 to a budding pentathlete as part of their Healthy Communities initiative, which financially supports young, talented sports people and organisations across the country.

Sarah Wilson, a 16-years old girl from Wiltshire is currently training in five different sports, running, fencing, swimming, riding and laser pistol shooting.

She has already seen success after recently winning the European triathlete championships which comprised of running, swimming and shooting. She has been picked for the English Talent Programme which requires full dedication to all of her chosen disciplines.

Currently, Sarah is the only one in her under-17 girls team who does not own her own pistol, which means she cannot practice in between training sessions at her club.

The grant from Persimmon Homes will enable Sarah to have her own pistol so that she can further improve and enhance her training to reach her full potential.

Rosie Wilson, Sarah’s mother said: “Sarah has recently been selected to represent Great Britain in an under-19 tetrathlon in Germany in December so the grant from Persimmon has come at a perfect time.

“She will now be able to spend time away from training practicing her laser pistol shooting so she can remain at the same level as her competitors.”

Pauline Fletcher, sales and marketing director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “Persimmon Homes Wessex is proud to support such a young talent like Sarah and we look forward to seeing her progress further in her sporting ambitions.

Persimmon Homes’ Community Champions scheme runs alongside the recently-launched Healthy Communities, in which the housebuilder is giving away more than £600,000 to sporting causes across the UK.

A host of regional prizes of £750 are up for grabs each month with amateur sports teams and individuals aged 21 and under eligible to apply. The money is to be spent on sports kit, equipment, coaching and facilities.

A shortlist of 30 will be then be created for a national final to be decided by a public vote, with the winning club or individual receiving £200,000 to create a long-lasting legacy, with two runners-up receiving £50,000 each.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Stuart .