Young Athlete’s Bursary Deadline is Looming

The county of Cumbria is going all out, for the second year running, to help shape a young cross country or track runner of the future, through the award of a running bursary established in the name of the late great, Pete Bland.

The Pete Bland Bursary was set up in honour of Pete who, as well as being a name synonymous with running in the north, was also the former Fell Race Manager of Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, who organise and fund this bursary scheme.

The Show, staged on August Bank Holiday Sunday each year, is offering £500, to help with a young runner’s sporting development.  It wants to see Cumbrian athletes flourish and believes this bursary, which Pete’s son Matt views as “significant” for a young runner, is one way to encourage promising talent.

Applications for the Bursary close on Wednesday July 31 and will be judged by both the Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show directors and members of Pete Bland’s family.  In 2023 and 2024, both Pete’s widow, Ann, and his son, Matt, have stepped into his shoes, to run the fell racing programme at Grasmere.

The bursary is open to any runner under the age of 18, as long as they live in Cumbria.  This year’s winners will step into the shoes of the inaugural winners of the bursary, Thomas Iveson and Rose Gilldaley, who last year shared the £500 bursary, having been deemed equally deserving.

The bursary can be spent however is most beneficial to the young runner, whether that is to fund travel expenses to compete further afield and gain  more experience, or to adopt a new and more advanced training regime.

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show Chairman, John Hibbert, says, “We are looking for young and promising talent that is likely to be further inspired by this award and really put it to good use, to help fuel their development.  We will want to see a long-term desire to be involved in athletics and a future goal that they would love to achieve one day. The aim is to make them a flag bearer for Cumbria within the future world of athletics.”

Once the bursary application deadline of July 31 passes, there will be some deliberation before the 2024 bursary winners are announced. 

For more information, visit the news section at www.grasmeresports.com and get the applications in.  These can be submitted to manager@grasmeresports.com                     

Ends

Editors notes

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is an iconic event taking place in the heart of the English Lake District on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Its long historic roots date back to 1868 and it is renowned for its fell running, hound trails and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling competitions, as well as being a fantastic family day out.