On 26 June, Ric Gamble of British Orienteering, had the pleasure of attending the annual Mary Peters Trust Funding Awards which took place in Belfast.

Eighty-five young athletes from across Northern Ireland, representing 24 different sports from basketball and karate to powerchair football, sailing and orienteering have received funding awards from the Trust.

Their achievements were celebrated at a special Athletes’ Academy event held at Newforge Sports Complex, Belfast and hosted by UTV sports correspondent Ruth Gorman.

Anastasiia Mahlych of Lagan Valley Orienteers was one of the athletes that has benefitted from the Academy’s support by gaining help with costs for her training and entries to orienteering competitions this year. We are delighted to join with her in celebrating this award. Through this additional funding, Anastasiia has been able to travel and compete at the Irish and British Championships and travel for training with the Talent Scotland Squad.

The award is incredibly competitive, so huge congratulations go to Anastasiia on her recognition. She will now go on to complete a summer training programme with her home club in the Kyiv Region. We wish you all the best and look forward to seeing your progress in the Autumn season.

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To learn more about the Mary Peters Trust please visit the Facebook page or Mary Peters Trust – Supporting Northern Ireland's Athletes.