Help local girl achieve her Olympic dream.

I’m a 20-year-old short track speed skater from St Anns, Nottingham with a realistic dream of competing for Great Britain in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

As a self-funded athlete, I am currently balancing three jobs alongside my intense training programme to help cover the cost of training as well as saving for any competitions. To achieve my dream of competing at the Olympics, I need to raise over £18,000 to cover the cost of travelling to the qualification events in Asia & Europe.

At 4 years old, I took my first steps on the ice at the National Ice Centre with my mum and brother who inspired me to give ice skating a try. I loved it and kept coming back two to three times per week with my family. A few years later, I was spotted going too fast by Nottingham Ice Racing Club (NIRC) head coach Mandy Worth, who invited me for a trial with the local Short Track Speed Skating Club. After speaking with my mum, I attended a trial later that day and loved it, I couldn’t wait to go back again!

Within the first two years of joining NIRC, at 11 years old, I qualified to skate internationally. An exciting opportunity but my first realisation of the financial challenges I would face if I wanted to continue skating competitively. My mum has always supported me and my skating but as a single parent, the additional burden of international trips presented a real challenge.

As I progressed with my skating, I was qualifying for three international competitions a year. Due to costs, I was unable to compete in all the competitions and the ones I did travel to, I had to go alone, without my mum. I really enjoyed travelling and competing, but it was always hard for me and my mum for her not to be able to watch me compete.

In 2017, I was selected to represent Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and clear stepping stone to my Olympic dream. Luckily, I managed to raise funds for this trip and was supported by local organisations, who help fund my travel.

With my rapid rise in the rankings, I was spotted by the Great Britain Short Track programme to attend a try-out. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful making the programme, but this increased my determination to improve and strive to one day qualify for the Olympics.

The biggest highlight of my skating career to date was claiming the Junior British 500m record, which was previously held for nine years by Britain’s fastest women on ice, Elise Christie, skating over a second faster than her record.

However, without financial support I will not be able to travel to the Olympic qualification events and subsequently will not get an opportunity to achieve my Olympic dream.

I hope you can support me along my journey and we can celebrate my success together.