The ‘16 for 2016’ are all supported by SportsAid, a charity which gives financial assistance to talented youngsters aged 12 to 18, to help them meet the costs of pursuing their sporting dreams.

The rising stars were named as Sport England announced that it would be investing over half a million pounds of Government funding in SportsAid over the next two years.

Ellie hasn’t just got her sights set on 2016, she hopes to be selected for the 2012 team and gain some valuable experience. She said: “I’ve done better than I ever expected this year so I’m really honoured that my achievements have been supported and recognised by SportsAid. I’m really pleased and encouraged to be selected as one of the 16 for 2016 athletes.”

Over the past year, SportsAid has distributed awards worth £185,000 to some 324 young athletes in the region who are starting their journey in performance sport and are not yet eligible for the Lottery funding awarded to elite athletes.

Sport England’s investment in SportsAid will enable the charity to continue its work in raising more money from individuals, events and particularly commercial organisations to provide greater support to more athletes in the coming years.

Guided by SportsAid criteria, award recipients are selected by their sport’s national governing body in conjunction with the sport’s performance staff. They join a star-studded list of athletes who have benefitted from SportsAid’s help, including Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, Victoria Pendleton, Denise Lewis and the Government’s new 2012 Sports Champion, Sir Steve Redgrave.

Sir Steve said; “Sport England’s funding means more young people can look forward to the same support from SportsAid that helped me when I was at the start of my career. We need to give these youngsters all the help we can to help them progress onto elite programmes and fulfil their potential.”