The Starr Trust, a dedicated children’s charity, has welcomed a star-studded line-up of sporting legends to an inspirational evening event helping mark its 15th anniversary.
Founded by Rob Starr in 2008, the Hove-based charity has been a beacon of hope for young people in the Brighton area facing hardship and personal challenges. Through unwavering dedication and support it has enabled more than 5,000 children and young adults to achieve their full potential.
On 26th September, the charity came together at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole, to honour the young people it has helped. The night, sponsored by Brighton CCTV and Seico Mortgages, included Olympic legends Daley Thompson CBE and Robin Cousins MBE, as well as a number of charity ambassadors from across the world of TV, sports and business.
Meet the very first Starr
Several of the young Starrs took the time to share their inspirational stories of how The Starr Trust has helped them. Ira, a young man from Brighton who was one of the first people funded, has achieved impressive academic success studying sports and performance psychology in the US, working with professional athletes to in turn achieve their best.
Ryan, who started playing table tennis two years ago with help from The Starr Trust, is now ranked number two in England in the under-13s category. He is now eyeing up playing in a future Olympics. Speaking on the night he said pursuing this passion wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the charity.
He said: “The Starr Trust has helped me in many different ways, even with school, because they’ve given me so many opportunities and without the money, I wouldn’t have been able to travel abroad or play in tournaments.” Speaking about his Olympics aspiration, he added: “I think the Olympics would obviously be quite a big leap from where I am currently, so I think – let’s take it one step at a time and see where I go.”
A winning formula
Daley Thompson is a long-time supporter of the charity and has spent time encouraging Ryan in his pursuits. He said: “I’m going to help him get there by telling him things about sports and Ryan is going to coach me to play table tennis. The thing is, he already knows what he’s got to do – and that’s just get his head down, he’s got to work hard in both his school work and his training and mostly, he’s got to come out of this being a really nice kid and a good champion.”
Former British competitive figure skater Robin Cousins MBE also attended the event and is one of the charity’s proud patrons. He said that he was drawn to the charity because of what it stands for. “Over the past 15 years, it has grown exponentially and that love and compassion has spread beyond Rob and the families and I’m just thrilled to still be here and be a part of it, ” he said.
A journey of a lifetime
The event kicks off a year-long campaign with charity ambassadors who support the work of the Starr Trust.
Moving forwards with new ambassadors
One new ambassador, Aneela Rose, Managing Director of Rose Media Group, has gone the extra mile herself as a British powerlifter and businesswoman. Rose Media Group will be managing the 12-month anniversary campaign with a series of life changing stories, never before shared outside of the charity.
Aneela said: “The Starr Trust is our charity of choice and we thoroughly support their ideology and work to help young people. It is an incredible charity that’s really close to my heart as supporting and inspiring the next generation is so important to me. I’ve seen how the Starr Trust changes lives, and to be able to help in some small way is an absolute privilege. I’m loving being part of the Starr family, you are truly awesome, the Starrs ‘n’ Roses have aligned!”
