Hughes Insurance has announced that Max Anderson, an 18-year-old hockey player from Cookstown, is the fifth athlete to have been awarded a £500 bursary as part of an ongoing partnership with the Mary Peters Trust, who continue to play an outstanding role in the lives of young sporting talent.
This is the second year of the £5000 bursary programme, which will award funding to a total of ten young athletes from across Northern Ireland. Each of the athletes will be selected by Lady Mary and her Trust to receive a £500 bursary from Hughes Insurance to support them on their journeys to realising and achieving their sporting potential.
Lady Mary Peters said: “Max is a fantastic example to the young sporting community, with many achievements under his belt during his sporting career, including captaining the Ireland U16 team in a match against England. His wins are a testament to his hard work and perseverance, and it is hoped that his bursary will help him to continue to realise his sporting potential.”
Max, the third child in his family with a passion for hockey, hails from Cookstown, a town well known as a centre of excellence for the sport. Max trains 6 days per week and sometimes even twice per day, including his Ulster sessions.
Commenting on his bursary, he said: “I’m delighted to be selected as a bursary recipient by Mary Peters Trust and Hughes Insurance. My passion for the game was first sparked when I played Mini Hockey when I was younger and ever since, I’ve been developing my talent.
“The bursary will help me to compete at international tournaments. Our team programme is self-funded so the funding will help tremendously with increasing travel costs.
In the future, Max hopes to play for international squads, with Paris 2024 and LA 2028 in mind.
Bethany Carroll, Marketing Executive at Hughes Insurance said: “We are proud to continue our partnership with Mary Peters Trust. Last year’s programme saw 10 athletes successfully supported along their sporting journeys and we are proud to be able to do the same this year.
“Max is a great example of Northern Ireland’s sporting talent and we very much look forward to watching as he continues to represent Cookstown and NI.”
The Mary Peters Trust is the only province-wide organisation to provide support to young athletes from all recognised sports. Along with Hughes Insurance, it is also supported by Alchemy Technology Services, who this year became a podium partner to support the Trust’s activities throughout 2022.
The further five successful bursary recipients will be announced throughout 2022. To keep up to date with the selection, follow Hughes Insurance on social media, @hughesinsuranceni.
For more information on Hughes Insurance visit hughesinsurance.co.uk and for more on the Mary Peters Trust, visit marypeterstrust.org
