Bromley fencing star Amelie Tsang received royal advice about how to maintain her mental fitness on her way to the top.

The 17-year-old, who was crowned world junior champion earlier this year, was joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre for a SportsAid workshop dedicated to mental health and wellbeing.

Tsang was among a host of young athletes who heard from a number of sporting stars, including four-time Olympic champion Sir Matthew Pinsent and five-time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, about their experiences of managing anxiety, pressure and expectation.

For several years, SportsAid has been providing information and advice on mental health and wellbeing in partnership with BelievePerform. The athletes, as well as their parents and guardians, contributed to two themed sessions, followed by a couple of practical exercises, alongside the prince and princess.

Tsang said: “We learnt about resilience and what that can look like day-to-day, how to improve your resilience and the importance of checking in on your mental health, even when you are doing well.

“I had Prince William in my group and he was really nice. We spoke a lot about resilience. He took a lot of interest in everyone in our group.

“We chatted about the difficulty of maintaining friendships in your sport, as you are friends when you are not competing and then suddenly you are competing for a medal or a place. He was really interested in how you set those boundaries.

“All athletes need some sort of mental resilience. I have been injured over the past year and it has been important to have the resilience to get up out of bed every day and even though I can’t do the thing I have dedicated so much time to, I can do the little things that will help me get back to where I was.”

The visit from the prince and princess - the patron of SportsAid since 2013 - comes after SportsAid revealed the findings of a new mental health and wellbeing survey, commissioned by the charity in September 2023, on World Mental Health Day.

The survey highlighted the anxiety felt by young athletes involved in performance sport, the different challenges facing female and para athletes and the appetite for more support and advice.

Tsang was one of several young athletes in attendance who receive funding and support from SportsAid to pursue their sporting ambitions.

“The support from SportsAid is really, really important,” she added. “I am in a sport where we don’t have proper funding so to be able to get this insight into mental health and get the support through the events they do, it has helped me a lot.”

Tsang’s fencing journey began when she took up the sport eight years ago, and after winning the Cadet World Championships foil individual event this year in Bulgaria the teenager has her sights set on future Olympics selection.

She said: “At the moment I’m still injured so I’m focusing on rehab so I can get myself stronger and finally get rid of the injury once and for all.

“I’d like to go to the Olympics. That’s a big dream of mine, maybe win, who knows!”

SportsAid is seeking support from individuals and organisations to allow the charity to invest further in its mental health and wellbeing initiatives. Please contact Serena Castiglione, Head of Fundraising at SportsAid, on serena@sportsaid.org.uk if you would like to help provide talented young athletes, as well as their families, with the support and advice they need at a key time in their development.