It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to reach the top but Kilburn archery star Lauryn Jewkes has been handed a major boost towards achieving her Olympic ambitions thanks to a nationwide funding initiative.

Managed by charity SportsAid, Sport England’s Backing The Best programme aims to support talented young athletes who would face difficulties progressing through their sport’s talent development system without critical financial help.

Seventy athletes were supported during the programme’s first term in 2016, producing world, European and national age-group level champions.

Woodlands School pupil Jewkes is one of the 95 named among the recent intake of athletes and, as a result, the 17-year-old is set to receive an annual award of up to £5,000 to help with essential costs such as travel, accommodation and kit.

She will also benefit from extra support from coaches and physios as she aims to progress in her sport.

And after previously relying mainly on her parents to help her out with steep training and travel costs, Jewkes admitted her delight at being selected as one to watch in future years.

She said: “I’m really happy, the money means so much because it is a lot of stress on my parents, mainly with travelling and equipment, so the money is really helpful to give them a normal life as well as helping me to compete.

“When I found out about SportsAid selecting me I was so happy because I have not got much other sponsorship, so it really meant something and shows I have potential.

“It is really important because the future of the sport is what matters most. You have people going out there showing how it is done but if you don’t have a base to start with you haven’t got much future in the sport.

“Backing The Best is a really good scheme to help the next generation. The big dream for me is representing the country at international level and hopefully at the Olympics.”

Backing The Best will use £5.5 million of National Lottery funding over four years to extend SportsAid’s reach into new areas of the country and offer more support to those who face the biggest financial challenges.

All the athletes are nominated to SportsAid by their sport’s governing bodies, with the charity then ensuring funding goes to those who are most in need.

Jewkes has already benefited from being part of the programme having attended a recent workshop at Nottingham’s Holme Pierrepont Country Park with fellow athletes, where she also got to meet with two-time Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington.

And the retired swimmer, a former SportsAid supported athlete herself, believes the support can be invaluable for Jewkes’ own sporting journey.

“It’s about these athletes absorbing everything around them right now at their age, almost being a bit like a sponge,” she said.

“As an individual, you have to find out what works for you and this is the age to do that for these athletes.

“It’s about taking on loads of people’s advice, taking them on board and then figuring out what works for them and what doesn’t.

“My journey started when I joined a club when I was eight years old. For me, when I got to about 13, 14, my parents were struggling to manage everything from competitions to racing suits to everything that comes with it.

“SportsAid was a massive help with that, whether that was playing for petrol or new training equipment that I needed. It really made a huge difference to myself.”

Backing The Best is helping young talented athletes facing the greatest financial pressure to pursue their sporting ambitions. The programme, managed by SportsAid for Sport England, is supported by National Lottery funding. Please visit www.sportengland.org/our-work/talent/backing-the-best/ for more information.