THREE budding athletes in Salisbury have won sport scholarship grants from Wiltshire Council.

Pentathlete Lucy Jane Matthews, 50m freestyle swimmer Oni Tawio and badminton player Katie Ovenden were among 12 sports stars who received £500 grants.

Team GB canoeist and world champion Hannah Brown was a special guest at the awards night in County Hall, Trowbridge on February 23.

This year saw 33 applications received from athletes across the county representing a range of sports including cycling, swimming, gymnastics, triathlon, athletics, badminton, football, squash, bowls, canoeing, tennis, squash and judo.

Leader of Wiltshire Council Jane Scott said: “Last year’s Olympics and Paralympics in Rio highlighted what a successful sporting county Wiltshire is, and we want to continue to build on that success.

“We are committed to supporting our rising sports stars and we know that these grants make a huge difference helping with their development and providing much-needed financial support for competitions.”