At the Camden GSF Awards 2026 Launch Event held at Lauderdale House on 23rd June , 25 athletes, families and partners gathered to hear how this year's GSF athlete award fund of £40,460 will help support local talented athletes on their sporting journey.
Among them was 5 time Paralympic Gold Medallist, Ellie Simmonds who said: “This is a fab evening coming together to celebrate Camden’s local talented athletes! The work GLL are doing is so important to provide the wrap around support for athletes of all ages. I enjoy it every year and I’m looking forward to seeing what the athletes achieve in the future.”
Charitable social enterprise and worker-owned co-op GLL has announced that 61 athletes from Camden will benefit from the 2026 intake of its GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) – the largest independent athlete award programme in the UK.
The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Tricia Leman, was also in attendance and said: “It is wonderful to see the support GLL is providing in Camden for so many young talented athletes.”
Now in its 18th year, the GLL Sport Foundation has so far contributed nearly £20m worth of athlete funding and support and distributed nearly 35,000 awards to young and talented athletes in 69 areas of the UK where GLL operate and across 121 different sports.
Among local athletes benefitting are Illias Zghoundi (para athletics), Alicia McDougall (fencing) , Kymorah Wong (gymnastics) and Katy Wun (swimming). In Camden alone, the foundation is supporting athletes from 18 different sports across a wide age range from 9 years of age to 66 years old.
Nationally, with 86% of this year's cohort receiving no other form of funding - up 3% from 2025 - it outlines the significant contribution the athlete programme makes against the challenge of the ongoing cost of living crisis. GLL’s own research shows that many talented athletes struggle to realise their dreams of sporting glory due to rising costs of equipment, training, physiotherapy, travel and nutrition. For them, a GSF Award can be the lifeline to staying in training and meeting their potential.
The GSF supports athletes through financial bursaries, access to physical rehabilitation and mental wellbeing support and all athletes are also given access to over 250 sport and leisure facilities across the UK operated by GLL under its "BETTER" brand.
GSF and GLL Regional Director Tony Wallace said: “37% of our athletes this year are newcomers to the foundation this year which shows growth and the need for this kind of support. Celebrating alongside our Camden Council partners, it was a great evening for everyone involved. ”
The GSF Annual Report will be released shortly. For more information visit
www.gllsportfoundation.org The GLL Sport Foundation's Patron is Sally Gunnell, OBE and partners involved in the programme include; SportsAid, sponsors from GLL's supply chain and Camden Council.
