Paralympic gold medallist Charlotte Evans helped cut the ribbon on a new not-for-profit organisation trying to change young people’s lives through sport.

The skier from Chatham launched the Kent Sports Trust as she cut a ribbon at the Tudor Park Hotel in Maidstone on Saturday with board trustee Angie Sandys.

They were joined by 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Rachael Burford, Team HARD Racing owner Tony Gilham and Liu Batchelor, who competed in 100 sports in 100 days for Sport Relief.

Kent Sports Trust chief executive Steve Wolfe said: “Sport has enriched my life, so I want to use our team’s passion for sport to inspire others.

“The money we raise is ploughed back into the Kent community, into schools especially, to get young people active and turn things around for them before there’s a decline in activity.”

Charlotte Evans added: “It’s so important for children to have a focus, to have something about which they can be passionate.

“Hopefully, my fellow Kent Sports Trust ambassadors and I can give them and others a passion for sport through the trust.”

Kent Sports Trust will be based at the Medway Innovation Centre in Chatham.