EIGHT of the district's top sporting teenagers have been given a financial helping hand by the Ray Mercer Sporting Found-ation.

Representatives from swimming, table tennis, athletics, fencing, rowing and judo received a share of £1,250 handed out at the Wyre Forest Sports Awards ceremony at the Glades Arena in Kiddermin-ster.

The scheme was set up by the Shuttle/Times and News in 1995 in memory of former Kidderminster Harriers secretary Ray Mercer.

Since then more than 80 young sportsmen and women have shared in excess of £20,000 to help them progress.

The fund's trustees invite applications for grants every December and announce the winners at the district's annual sports award evening.

Shuttle/Times and News editor Clive Joyce said: "The only funding the foundation receives comes from sports clubs and other organisations who hold fund-raising events or make donations.

"We are so grateful for their support because it enables us to continue this worthwhile scheme. Every penny raised goes to young people and can make such a difference to them."

Amy Smith

AMY Smith will head to this year's Commonwealth Games with a glowing reputation as one of the country's best swimmers.

The 18-year-old Wyre Forest Swimming Club member will represent Team England in the 100m freestyle at the Games in Australia in March.

Smith has progressed through the age groups to become county champion, district champion and national champion.

She is a regular finalist at the British Championships and has set numerous records along the way.

Since moving to Loughborough University she has benefited from the highest level of coaching and recently broke the five-year-old 50m freestyle record in the British Universities League.

Wyre Forest Swimming Club's senior coach Steve Joyce has been delighted with the progress Smith is making.

"Swimming is unparalleled in the training and commitment that is required to be successful at an international level," he said.

"Amy shows all of the traits of a great athlete and I believe that her swimming achievements so far have been truly remarkable."

Competing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics are realistic ambitions for Smith, who will use the grant towards travel and accommodation expenses.

Heidi Jarosinski

RECOGNITION in the Ray Mercer awards is the latest in a long line of achievements for long-jumper Heidi Jarosinski.

The 18-year-old is continuing to make great strides competing for Hales-owen Athletic Club and the county squad.

She came eighth at the English Schools Championships in Birmingham in long jump and 14th in the heptathlon in another English Schools event at Southampton.

Jarosinski is ranked 18th in the country for long jump and is also in the top 20 in her age-group for heptathlon.

In the West Midlands, she is ranked fourth in the long jump and fifth in the heptathlon as well as being ranked in the shot putt, javelin, high jump, 100m hurdles, 200m and 800m.

Her intense, six-days-a-week training regime has also resulted in her winning 11 medals in the past year.

She has gained representative honours at local, regional and national levels and been selected for specialist training squads. Coach Joanne Smallwood said: "Heidi is a very dedicated and enthusiastic athlete."

Jessica Griffiths

IF dedication is the secret to becoming a successful swimmer, then Jessica Griffiths is heading all the way to the top.

The 11-year-old Wyre Forest club member summed up her fighting spirit by stepping off her sickbed to win two golds at the Worcestershire County Sprints last year.

The small matter of a stomach bug counts for nothing, it would seem, when you've got the swimming bug.

Griffiths has made rapid progress over the past year and as well as the county golds in the 50m front crawl and 50m butterfly, she has also enjoyed success in a number of galas.

Her next aim is to make national qualifying times and she swims five days a week, as well as land training, in an attempt to improve her speed, strength and technique.

Griffiths, who is coached by Lucy Walters, is scheduled to take part in a specialist training session at Loughborough University this year.

The Ray Mercer money will go towards funding this and other expenses as she pursues her dream of taking part in the 2012 Olympics.

Jon McKeever

TABLE Tennis chiefs have high hopes for Jon McKeever with the talented teenager taking the Kidderminster & District Table Tennis League by storm.

The 15-year-old has showed great courage and commitment to make a name for himself on the local sports scene.

McKeever hopes to use the Ray Mercer money towards a place on a specialist coaching course run by former England champion Desmond Douglas.

The training sessions are by invitation only, but McKeever's impressive recent record should be more than sufficient to win him a place.

During the past season, he has been crowned Kidderminster cadet champion and Worcestershire under-19 schools champion.

McKeever has also forced his way into the top 100 of the English Table Tennis Association cadet rankings, which includes 650 players.

His next ambition is to break into the top 100 juniors which is the only way of competing in national association computer- ranked tournaments.

He will also use his grant towards the cost of training, tournament entry and specialised bat rubbers.

Kate Walker

JUDO star Kate Walker is closing in on her dream of representing Great Britain at the Olympics after another helping hand from the Ray Mercer foundation.

The Samurai Judo Club member has gone from strength to strength since receiving previous grants and she is now rated as one of the country's brightest talents.

Walker is so highly thought of by British judo bosses that she has been earmarked as a potential medal winner at the London 2012 Olympics.

The 16-year-old kept her remarkable success story rolling in 2005 with a haul of 22 medals, including national and international honours.

With her main aim of reaching the European Cadet Championships in Salzberg duly achieved, she went on to finish an impressive ninth.

Finishing first in the British Junior rankings, winning the British Schools Championships and becoming the youngest ever judo black belt in Worcestershire were also highlights of Walker's year in 2005.

The Bewdley High School student also established herself at adult level with success at the Kent and Welsh senior events and the Scottish Open where she took the senior silver and junior gold.

On top of her competitive commitments, Walker also devotes her time to officiating at matches and passing on top tips to youngsters as a junior coach.

Laura Ray

LAURA Ray could be forgiven for walking on water, rather than rowing at the moment, after a hugely successful year.

The Stourport Boat Club teenager capped a memorable 2005 with two gold medals at the National Championships in Nottingham.

Her triumphs in the double and the quad were among 20 wins for the determined 16-year-old.

More recently she won the single and double sculls at Walton Small Boat Head and Weybridge Silver Sculls in London.

She is equally adept on land, winning gold on a rowing machine in the women's junior 18 lightweight category at the Welsh Indoor Championships.

As well as competing nationally, she has also achieved great success in local regattas at Bewdley, Stourport, Ironbridge, Shrewsbury and Worcester.

Stourport Boat Club captain Stewart Barnett described Laura as a "dedicated and highly motivated athlete who can win at the very highest level."

Her grant will go towards the costs of training, equipment, clothing, travel and race entries.

Amber Newton

AMBER Newton is sparking some friendly sibling rivalry by stepping out of the shadows of her big brother Ashley in the world of fencing.

Ashley has gone from strength to strength since receiving a Ray Mercer Foundation grant last year and now his little sister is following suit.

She has been fencing since she was six and is highly though of at Droitwich Spa Fencing Club, where she trains each week.

Fencing with the foil, she came third in the under-12s category at the Birmingham Schools competition in 2004.

And she underlined her progress in fine style last year by coming first in the same event.

A new electric fencing lame jacket will be purchased with the bulk of her grant.

"There is a great shortage of young, keen females on the fencing scene at the moment, so every bit of encouragement is welcome," said grandmother Ann Butler.

Ashley Gibbs

ASHLEY Gibbs is coming on leaps and bounds in his main event, the high jump, after joining Kidderminster and Stourport Athletic Club just 18 months ago.

The 15-year-old Wolverley High School pupil recently increased his personal best jump from 1.45m to 1.60m and is training hard towards another significant improvement.

Since receiving specialist training with coach Mike Dolby at the Solihull Indoor Training Centre, Gibbs has enjoyed a surge in confidence and ability.

He is the current Worcestershire County Boys Champion for his age group in both high jump and long jump and recently won gold at a multi-event meeting in Banbury.

His next goal is to achieve 1.80m and qualify for the AAA England Championships in Birmingham in August.

Not surprisingly Gibbs has set his sights high and ultimately, he would love to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics.

In the meantime, he will put the Ray Mercer grant towards some new high-jump spikes, his travel expenses and the cost of entering competitions.