GAZETTE & HERALD: Three young swimmers from Calne have received a welcome cash boost from the Calne Sports Centre Trust Fund.

Amelia Harding, 11, from Marden Way, Calne and sisters Lyndsey, 15 and Amy Mcrae, 12, from Oxford Road, Calne, were given £120 each to help them with their training expenses.

The trust fund was set up when North Wiltshire District Council took over the Calne Sports Centre renaming it the White Horse Sports Centre.

The takeover left a £10,000 residue which was put into an account and a charitable organisation was created, which gives away the interest on the £10,000 every year to young sports stars.

Mike Lewis, secretary and treasurer of the trust fund, said: "The money was invested and we give away the interest to children within ten miles of Calne, but they must use the White Horse Leisure Centre, and they must use the money for sporting interests to help them."

Mr Lewis said he would encourage more school students to apply for the award.

"They are regular users of the sports centre as it is used by John Bentley School so anyone from John Bentley or even the younger children from the junior schools could apply but the only people that usually do apply are the swimming club youngsters.

"We very seldom turn anyone down but it is very difficult to get young people to write a letter applying."

Trustee and synchronised swimming secretary for Calne Alpha Four Swimming Club, Jean Pitfield, said the money the girls will receive would help.

"The speed swimmers' money is for extra training for a swimming club in Bristol for them to get better and reach a higher level.

"As for Amelia she has already qualified for national synchronised swimming for her age group.

"She's off to Wigan in September so the money will help for her costs to that and whatever's left over will go towards training."

So far the trust, which has been running for seven years has given away between £2,000 and £3,000.

Mr Lewis said that they were prepared to help more: "We give away money once a year but we have got a little bit that if someone came to us and said look I have got a chance to do a special course we might be prepared to come out of our usual session and provide for them."

Alan McRae, father of Lyndsey and Amy, said: "It will benefit them in money towards costumes, training equipment and competition costs.

"For example they've been to Swansea, Cardiff, Guildford and Reading in the past year.

"Also it will go towards costs for training camps as next year they may be going off to Cyprus and going to the new one where the Great Britain Olympic squad is at the moment.

"They're training hard and every penny counts."

Amelia's mother Carol Harding said that the money will help pay for training and also weights.

"It will help her to go for more courses and it's for anything else she needs like swimming costumes.

"We are also thinking of buying her weights that she can swim with to help her stamina.

"The pool at Calne is two metres deep but one of the Bristol pools in four metres, and the water is heavier, and in Wigan it's five metres deep, so the weights help.

"It's things like that and this will provide her and help her with training."