IT WAS a case of lucky thirteen for Suffolk powerlifter Nathaniel Wilding at a recent Disability Sport Showcase Day when he became the thirteenth young athlete to receive a grant from the Suffolk SportsAid Foundation.

IT WAS a case of lucky thirteen for Suffolk powerlifter Nathaniel Wilding at a recent Disability Sport Showcase Day when he became the thirteenth young athlete to receive a grant from the Suffolk SportsAid Foundation.

The 15 year-old Felixstowe resident has his sights firmly set on representing Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Not only is the teenager ranked number one in his age group in Great Britain, but he is also in the top 20 in Europe.

This season he is scheduled to compete in the British Championships, the French Open and the Junior World Development Championships in America.

The Suffolk SportsAid Foundation was launched last December with the specific aim of raising money to help Suffolk's up and coming sportsmen and women to achieve on the national, international and world stage.

A joint initiative between SportsAid, the national charity for sport, Suffolk Sport and Rising to the Challenge Suffolk, the campaign aims to maximise the benefits for Suffolk from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Wilding received his cheque for £500 at the Disability Sport Showcase Day at Great Cornard, which was organised as part of Optua's Suffolk Disability Sport Academy. The academy was set up with the aim of unearthing talented young disabled athletes.

Wilding is a member of the successful Suffolk Spartans Powerlifting Club, which is based in East Bergholt, that Optua originally helped to set up. Since its formation the club has produced several talented young members under the guidance of world powerlifting champions Neil and Ann Thomas.