Gifted youngsters from across Cornwall have been selected to receive funding to help them reach their full potential. 

Twenty young people ranging from musicians, dancers and actors to sportspeople and fashion designers have been chosen to benefit from this year’s second cohort of Young & Talented Cornwall. 

Recipients include Seren Wills from Saltash, Reuben Lodge from Newquay, Imogen Hawkins and Poppy Luxton from Devoran as well as Anna Browning and Alec West from Truro.  

Paige Mullin, Tamar Warne, Tristan Babb and Matthew Collinge, who are all from Bodmin, are other recipients selected. 

Also included are Aston Purnell, Ashleigh Masters, and Tilly Dodd from St Austell. 

In West Cornwall, Samuel Jose from Penzance and Martin Wright from Hayle have been chosen. 

Designed to support emerging talents, the Young & Talented Cornwall, The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund, helps the next generation of superstars who otherwise lack the means to achieve their potential across a wide range of skill areas, from sports and performing arts to music and science.  

Since 2005 the fund has provided grants worth more than £350,000. 

Seren, 14, of Saltash, is the first Cornish climber to be selected for the England climbing squad and her aspiration is to be the first ever Cornish climber to represent GB Climbing at international competition and become Olympic and world champion.  The funding will go towards travel, accommodation and entry fees for her training and competitions. 

From Bodmin, Tamar, 18, is a triple threat dancer, actor and singer specialising in jazz, lyrical and street dance.  

She hopes to go to university to study musical theatre and dreams of a career in the entertainment industry. The grant will assist with travel and equipment expenses.  

Paige, 18, is a singer and actor who was selected for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. She performed a solo leading 3,000 other children at the Royal Albert Hall.  

Paige also led 400 world ranked choral singers in the Interkultur Gala Concert and aspires to become a well-rounded, versatile performer by attending a top-class drama school to study acting and musical theatre. The grant will help with audition costs. 

Tristan, 15, is a multi-sport athlete who has qualified for Team GB for pentathlon.  

He has represented Cornwall at cross county, been on podiums at the Cornwall Athletics Championships and competed at national events for fencing.  

Tristan hopes to use this funding to purchase equipment and travel expenses.  

For St Austell ballet dancer, Aston, 19, recently completed training with the English National Ballet School and has been offered a place in America with Boston Ballet School. The grant will help with associated expenses.  

Ashleigh, 14, is an acro gymnast and competes in a trio which recently represented GB at the Acro Championships in Germany placing second.  

The grant will help with equipment and competition costs. 

Tilly, 15, captains Cornwall’s U15 cricket team and has also represented the county senior women’s side. Her dream is to become a professional cricketer and one day play for England.  The grant will go towards equipment and travel.  

Lord Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE, who heads up the Young & Talented Cornwall programme, said: “Young people are the future. It is vitally important that we give them all the help that we can to nurture their talents and go on to achieve great things, regardless of their background. 

“I am delighted that we have been able to support such a strong cohort of talented youngsters and it is thanks to the invaluable support of local businesses that we have been able to achieve our biggest funding round yet. Cornwall is a hotbed of talent, and these 20 youngsters are just a small taste of our young stars in the making.” 

Cornish broadband provider Wildanet has pledged to  donate in excess of £22,000 to the Young & Talented Cornwall programme. 

Some of the young people to benefit from the latest round of grant funding came together at Wildanet’s Liskeard-based headquarters to mark its support to the programme and to celebrate Cornwall’s emerging talents. 

They each received a grant certificate from Colonel Bolitho and a Young & Talented Cornwall hoodie from No1 Cubs. 

The Lions Club of St Austell has also partnered with Young & Talented Cornwall to specifically  help gifted youngsters from the area in memory of founding member and four times president Michael Collins.  

Applications for the next round of grants are now open. For more information or to find out about sponsorship, visit www.youngandtalentedcornwall.org