Following the tragic death of Team GB athlete Ellie Soutter on her 18th birthday, her family has committed to continue fundraising in Ellie’s memory.
We want to support promising winter sports athletes, both financially and personally, to help them fulfill their potential and achieve their dreams.
The purpose of the Foundation is to identify and provide support for young people, who have a demonstrable talent for winter sports and would otherwise be unable to maximise their potential because of a lack of financial resources. This will be achieved by providing grants for equipment, training, travel, competing and accommodation.
The grants will be restricted to those individuals who can demonstrate that their own family circumstances dictate that the opportunity to develop their talent would be denied to them, without this financial support.
Traditionally, winter sports are regarded as elitist pursuits, reserved for the wealthy. Therefore the pressures on young talented athletes from less privileged backgrounds are immense.
Coming from a family without the significant wealth required to reach her full potential, Ellie battled with the pressures of funding and performance. Ultimately they became too much for her and she took her own life in July 2018. The Ellie Soutter Foundation hopes to provide a safety net for inspiring talent, just like Ellie.
As much as possible, we seek to alleviate these pressures so athletes can focus on their performance without constant financial worry. We hope to promote social mobility by making winter sports more accessible to those athletes from less wealthy backgrounds.
We’ll seek to assist young people in developing the skills they need to deal with pressure and stress.
We’ll provide assistance to those for whom the challenges of performance may have caused or be causing mental health issues.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Foundation is to identify and provide support, for young people, who have a demonstrable talent for winter sports, who would otherwise be unable to maximise their potential because of a lack of financial resources. This will be achieved by providing grants for equipment, training, travel, competing and accommodation. In addition the Foundation seeks to provide a mind and body wellness package to its athletes where we will provide access to therapist, chiropractors, and sports massages. The grants will be restricted to those individuals who can demonstrate that their own family circumstances dictate that the opportunity to develop their talent would be denied to them, without this financial support.
Public Benefit
Winter sports are perceived as the preserve of wealthy people and the pressures on young, less privileged individuals are immense. The inspiration for this trust was provided by one such person who battled with these pressures and ultimately took her own life. The trustees wish to provide a safety net for such individuals and, as far as possible, alleviate one of the burdens that they face.
The public benefits are:
- Promoting social mobility by lowering the barriers for less wealthy young people to advance in sports typically seen as the preserve of the better off.
- Assisting young people to develop their skill sets and maximise their potential.
- Providing assistance for those for whom the challenge mayhave caused or be causing mental health issues.
We really need your help
Whether it is in the form of a donation or a corporate partnership. You can support our work by donating to the Ellie Soutter Foundation.
French Non-Profit organisation The Ellie Soutter Foundation
Money raised by the foundation in France and outside of the United Kingdom will be separately used to promote Mental health awareness and social wellbeing to athletes and children alike.
The Foundation will provide financial assistance to young winter sports athletes regardless as to weather they are UK citizens or not who have a demonstrable talent for winter sports, who would otherwise be unable to maximise their potential because of a lack of financial resources.
#riding2win
#riding2win Ltd is a UK company set up to design and sell merchandise internationally with a specific link to the Ellie Soutter Foundation. The company wishes to develop a 100% Carbon neutral, ethical, sustainable range of products, were all profits from the sale of #riding2win merchandise will either be reinvested in #riding2win or passed over to The Ellie Soutter Foundation. #riding2win merchandise was designed to bring additional sustainable future income to the foundation.
