A charity that has helped some of Britain’s greatest Olympians is to offer financial support to Medway athletes in a new partnership.

SportsAid, whose past beneficiaries include 17 of the 19 Team GB gold medallists from Beijing, is to treble the financial support available to athletes on Medway Council’s elite programme.

The aim is to help Medway’s athletes, aged 12 to 18, reach their potential at national and international level, and to raise their profile nationally.

In the first partnership of its kind between the charity and a local authority in the south-east, and one of only a handful of such arrangements in the country, SportsAid will make a grant of £500 to support eligible

Medway athletes who already receive £250 of funding support from the council.

Medway 2012 manager, Bob Dimond, said: “This endorsement from SportsAid highlights the success of our athlete support and will further raise the

profile and aspirations of our future stars.”

SportsAid was established in 1976 to support the next generation of sporting talent to succeed. It channels funds from the commercial sector towards the country’s aspiring athletes, supporting athletes who do not receive Lottery funding.

Past recipients include five-time gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave and Medway international sporting ambassador, Steve Backley.

SportsAid chief executive,

Tim Lawler, said: “Working with Medway Council is fantastic as

it allows us to build on the impact of the role that we play at a

local level, and complements the support that they are already offering their talented athletes.”

Medway’s elite athlete support programme also provides athletes with sports science and therapy support from the University of Kent at Medway and free access to council-run leisure facilities.

The additional funding will assist athletes with travel, training, accommodation, competition fees and equipment costs.

To qualify, athletes currently not on World Class Lottery programmes must be nominated by their sport’s governing body. Medway Council will also be able to identify potentially-eligible athletes.