Matt Henderson
Matt is 16 years old and his sport is Fencing. He attends Newcastle Royal Grammar School. In 2008 he was part of the Great Britain Cadet Epee (U17) Squad competing in Germany, Austria and Sweden, and he was also part of the Great Britain U20 Squad competing in Italy and Hungary. He is ranked 3rd in Great Britain U17 Cadet Epee.
Juliet Short
Juliet is 19 years old and from Gosforth. Her sport is Rugby Union and her club is Darlington Mowden Park Sharks. She played for England U20s three years ago at the age of 16 and has since moved up to the full England team whom she toured Canada with. She is a pivotal player for her club and is an inspiration to younger players.
Crawford Matthews
Crawford is 17 years old and he attends Heaton Manor School. His sport is Rugby League and his club is Gateshead Thunder. He represented and captained Scotland at U16 level, and also represented and captained Scotland Colleges at the European Championships in Prague, in June 2008. He signed a professional contract with Gateshead Thunder in October 2008.
John McGuinness
John is 17 years old and attends St. Cuthberts School. His sport is Judo and his club is Newburn Judo Club. He has made the transition from Junior graded Brown Belt to win his cherished Senior Black Belt. He won a place in the World Class Start Programme after winning a silver medal at the British Championships.
Ramanpreet Singh
Ramanpreet is 16 years old and attends Gosforth High School. His sport is Cricket and his club is Newcastle City. At the age of 14, he scored 101 runs playing in the Northumberland U17 team. He played for North of England U15s and was then picked for England U15s, for whom he made his debut at the Home of Cricket – Lords. He is now part of the Durham Academy and is tipped to become part of Durham CCC’s success in years to come.
Rachel Haigh
Rachel is 17 years old and attents Central High School. Her sport is Swimming and her club is the City of Newcastle Swimming Club. She represented Great Britain at the World Youth Championships in Mexico, where she was a finalist in the Medley Team and a semi-finalist in the 100m Butterfly. Rachel is only the second Newcastle girl to break the minute barrier for the 100m Butterfly; Sue Rolph being the other. She is also part of the Regional Beacon Squad at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre.
Matthew Hennessey
Matthew is 18 years old and attends Tyne Met College. His sport is Gymnastics and he is part of the City of Newcastle Gymnastics academy. In 2008 he became the U18 Welsh Champion and was 4th n the U18 British Championships. He represented Britain against Austria and Japan. A great inspiration to other Gymnasts, Matthew has been selected for Wales in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Peter Wilson
Peter is 18 years old an his sport is Cycling. He is a member of Team Northumbria at Northumbria University and also Maryland Wheelers. At U16 level he broke the Irish 10 and 25 mile Time Trial records and in 2007, broke the 25 mile record. Last year, Peter represented Ireland at European Cup on the track and represented Ireland in the Tour of Ulster.
Philip Hurst
Philip is 18 years old. His sport is Athletics, and his club is Elswick Harriers. He only started running seriously two years ago. Since 2007, Philip has won and been placed in the first three on the track at 1500m and 3000m, and high placings in Cross Country Championships. This year, he was called up by England. He came 3rd at the UK Cross Country Challenge in Antrim. In January he placed an excellent 7th representing England in the Junior Mens Cross Country International in Seville, Spain.
Philip received the Paul Stevens Trophy for the Rising Star of Athletics.
Andrew Corrigan
Andrew is 20 years old and his sport is rowing. He is a member of the Newcastle University Boat Club. In 2008, Andrew won Silver, Bronze and 3 Golds in the Univeristy Champtionships. He also won individual Gold at U23 in the National Championships.
Megan Henderson
Megan is 15 years old and attends Ponteland High School. Her sport is Judo and she is a member of Newburn Judo Club, where she hs been a member since the age of 8. Megan has been a regular member of the British Judo Association’s Junior Squad and World Class Training Programme. During last year, she won 15 Gold, 3 Silver and 1 Bronze medal, and defeated 59 oponents. Megan is also a Silver medalist at the National Championships and has won Gold at the UK Games Heart of England Championships.
Richard Summerbell
Richard is 17 years old and attends Queen Elizabeth College in Darlington. His sport is Basketball. Richard has represented the region since the age of 14. He is currently in the England U18 squad and training with the Newcastle Eagles. Over Christmas, he played for England in a tournament in Manchester. Corporate partner Northumbrian Water chose Richard as thier Sports Scholar.
Laura Dawson
Laura is 15 years old and attends Church High School. Her sport is Swimming and her club is the City of Newcastle Swimming Club. Laura is a unique young lady, being a Scotland and England International. She represented England Schools and won the 100m Butterfly in the Home Countries International, which she then retained in 2008, doing so in record time. Laura represented Scotland in Vienna and also holds Scottish Junior records.
Nile Ranger
Nile is 17 years old, and his sport is Football. He is a member of the Newcastle United Academy, whom he joined from Southampton and is a Striker. He has played for Newcastle United’s reserve side and has been on the bench for the first team. Nile is also a member of the England U18 Squad.