Charlotte Bianchi: Sheffield swimmer handpicked for prestigious development programme for aspiring Olympians

Sheffield High School pupil Charlotte Bianchi, who has qualified to represent Britain the 2022 European Junior Championships in Bucharest, Romania next month, has been selected for SportsAid’s Next Generation programme.

She will receive a £2,000 bursary through the scheme as well as a £25 monthly voucher from supermarket chain Aldi to help fuel her training.

"I want to go as far as I can in the sport,” said Charlotte, who is among a group of 47 swimmers selected for the 2021-22 Swim England Junior Squad.

“It is important to learn new things and to learn how to present yourself in public, so it really is a great opportunity.”

SportsAid supports more than 1,000 young athletes each year with money to help with training and competition costs as well as personal development opportunities.

City of Sheffield Swim Squad member Charlotte added: "I definitely think the grant will make a big difference to my progression over the next few years because I will be able to travel more and buy more things to help benefit me as a swimmer.

"Having all this attention on us as young athletes is a big change. It is not something we're used to, but it is fun to meet a lot of new people."

Other City of Sheffield swimmers selected to represent Britain in Romania include Phoebe Cooper, Sienna Robinson and Matthew Woodhall.

Aldi is the Official Supermarket Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and have partnered with Team GB since 2015, ParalympicsGB since 2022 and will be supporting them through to Paris 2024