IMOGEN Newby has more than enough potential to be a future Olympian, but the young Halstead archery ace is needing a helping hand to allow her to realise her dreams.

The 12-year-old Hedingham School pupil is ranked in the top two or three in the country in her age group, but as she progresses up the Archery GB structure, growing training, equipment and competition costs are threatening to stifle her rise.

So her family are hoping to find help to make sure she can stay on track for a place in Britain's team at the 2024 Games by maintaining her place on the Archery GB Performance Academy programme.

Her father, Leon, said: "We're hoping that businesses or individuals would kindly invest in Imogen's archery career as the costs are spiralling as she moves up through the age groups.

"Archery GB have moved the training from Hartpury College in Gloucester to Lilleshall National Sport Centre to save money and the training costs have more than doubled for the parents and athletes.

"At the moment she is on the Archery GB Performance Academy programme working towards the 2024 Olympics but it's all about money I'm afraid.

"Our family resources only go so far and if we can't afford the fees then she can't go.

"There is funding available from Archery GB when the athletes get onto the Confirmation Academy, but the youngest archer on that is aged 15 and at the age of 12, Imogen is not as yet developed enough to be at that standard.

"It's a bit of a Catch 22 situation because she needs to be on the programme to get to that level where she can start to get funding, but if we can't pay for her to stay on the programme then she won't reach that level.

"It's hugely frustrating.

"Ideally, we'd like to get some financial help in the form of sponsorship that would help us to get her to and from the Academy as that would secure her training and her archery education so she can stay on that pathway."

It has been a phenomenally successful past 12 months for the Braintree Bowmen member.

She became the under-12 ladies' recurve national indoor champion, she won the Archery GB Youth Festival (mock Olympics) to become the under-14 Cub champion and took at county and regional levels both indoors and outdoors.

In fact the only major title to elude the talented youngster was the national outdoors crown as a bout of chicken pox denied her the chance to compete, although she shot the same competition the week after the Nationals and beat the title-winning score by four points.

Any individuals or businesses who would like to be involved with Imogen's archery progression can contact Leon at leonnewby@gmail.com