Russell Bishop

[lt]h2[gt]After taking a year off in 2015 to give my supporters a break from the on-going bombardment of [span=color: #888888;]"will you sponsor me please"[/span] I am hoping to raise £1000 for the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund (RPMF).[lt]/h2[gt][p][b]About RPMF[lt]br /[gt][/b]Every penny raised will be given out in grants to talented young athletes aged 15 to 23 while they are in education. The grants are intended to help them with training & equipment expenses, thereby encouraging them to stay in the sport and realise their potential.  [/p][p]This support has become an established element at the grass roots of athletics and over the past 20 years the Fund has given [b]more than £1 Million[/b] in various grants to participants in the sport. More than 80% of today's Great Britain track & field teams are former recipients of RPMF grants - including Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu and Dai Greene.[/p][p]Over two thirds of the British athletics Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012 had at some stage of their careers received support from the Fund, including all of the London 2012 Olympic athletics medallists.[/p][p]Each grant is designed to make a difference, helping the recipients make the difficult transition from junior to senior level through support for equipment, specialist coaching or travel and importantly help build the athletes’ confidence and self esteem through recognition.[/p][lt]p style="text-align: center;"[gt][b][span=color: #0000ff;]“Sport is the most precious[lt]br /[gt]commodity we have to hand on[lt]br /[gt]to the next generation”[/span][lt]br /[gt]Ron Pickering OBE[/b][/p]