Mo Chaudry, entrepreneur and star of Channel 4’s ‘Secret Millionaire’, has rescued the Olympic aspirations of Potteries sprint ace Alex Nelson.

Nelson, a former under-20 European 200m gold medalist, lost his central funding after struggling with injury problems for most of last season.
Mr Chaudry, who owns the famous Waterworld tourist attraction at Stoke-on-Trent, has stepped in to provide Nelson with a five-year sponsorship to support his campaign to compete at London 2012 and beyond.

“To me this is an opportunity to support a supremely talented local athlete who has the potential to put Stoke-on-Trent on the map in a big way. How good will that be for all of us if he makes the Olympic final? I would like to set up a fund to help other young sporting talent, and I encourage other would-be sponsors to do likewise and give our future Olympians the best chance of success,” said Mr Chaudry.

“This sponsorship money will be a massive help,” said 20 year-old Alex Nelson. “These funds will allow me to fly out to Arizona for warm weather training with my coach. Without Mo’s help this trip, that is vital to my preparation for the season, simply wouldn’t happen.”

A committed philanthropist, Mr Chaudry is also well known for his sporting prowess. He won a silver medal in the 1983 British student Olympic weightlifting championships and has won plaudits for his martial arts and amateur boxing exploits. He also played under 19’s cricket for Warwickshire, winning full caps for Shropshire County Cricket Club.
He received honorary degrees from Keele University and Staffordshire University in 2008, where he had previously studied sports science.

Mo Chaudry, star of Channel 4 TV’s ‘Secret Millionaire’ and owner of the famous Waterworld tourist attraction in Stoke-on-Trent, is supporting the Conservative party candidates in the current Election campaign.

“The Tories have pledged help to the tourism and leisure sector,” said Mr Chaudry. “We are hoping that reform of the tax system will result in reduced VAT for leisure activities, which would align Britain with the rest of Europe.”

Mo Chaudry is passionate about regeneration of the city and youth employment. He is a mentor with PM Training in Stoke, who announced their 10,000th successful apprenticeship last month.

Mr Chaudry fully supports James Rushton, the Conservative Candidate for Stoke South’s petition, ‘Next Stop Stoke’, which hopes to ensure that any future high speed train service does not bypass Stoke station as is the current plan.

Waterworld has collected over 500 signatures so far, and Mr Chaudry is calling on the owners and customers of other major attractions to show their support.

“The fast track train is vital for the regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent and would be integral in the relocation of government and civil service jobs,” said Mr Chaudry.

“James is the local candidate that we need. He has the ideas and the energy to take this City forward.”

Following lengthy negotiations throughout the winter months the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire Premier Cricket League is pleased to announce the successful completion of its highest sponsorship deal in the League’s history. The League will become known as the WATERWORLD NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE AND SOUTH CHESHIRE PREMIER CRICKET LEAGUE.

The League, one of the best ECB Premier Leagues in the Country, had a magnificent season last year culminating in their representative team winning the League Cricket Conference Trophy. Last week there was further good news when they were adjudged the best Senior Team in The Sentinel Stoke-on-Trent Sports Awards, held at the Moat House Hotel on Festival Park.

Formed in 1962, the League has gone from strength to strength and now has eight divisions –
four 1st XI and four 2nd XI – with 44 clubs and 96 teams competing in their competitions each week. Each club must have several junior teams to qualify for membership, some having as many as 6 sides, comprising male and female players, and they must be coached by ECB accredited coaches.

Many Test and First Class County players started their careers with clubs in the League including Bob Taylor, Ken Higgs, Peter Gibbs, Kim Barnett, Dave Follett and Alan Richardson, whilst more recently Dan Redfern and David Wheeldon have made their First Class County debuts. Also, many of the World’s finest international stars have graced the playing fields of clubs within the League including Jim Laker, Sir Garfield Sobers, Wes Hall, Nasim ul Ghani, Mushtaq Ahned, Imran Tahir, Shahid Afridi, Otis Gibson, Vasbert Drakes, Alfonso Thomas and Albie and Morne Morkel. The League has become renowned for bringing these world famous players to play against the best of local talent, something that very rarely happens in any other sport.

The Waterworld Group of companies are to sponsor 3 of the Divisions:
Premier division: Waterworld
Championship Div 2: ASC Financial Management
Championship Div 3: Little Gym.
JSW Insurance will head up Championship Division One.
The master agreement for all the 4 divs was signed last week by the Waterworld Chairman Mo Chaudry and the league Chairman Chris Hopkin.
The League with receive a considerable five figure sum over the next four years plus a significant opportunity for clubs to gain financially by working with the Sponsors.
Dukes recently finalised a new three year contract to supply cricket balls to the League, whilst the Hanley Economic Building Society and the Sentinel have agreed to continue their sponsorship of the Talbot Cup and Talbot Shield respectively.
Gary Stanyer, from Spyderbats in Tunstall, has also agreed to continue his support of the League Colts Trophy competition which had a most successful first season last year.
However, despite talks with several interested parties, the League has yet to conclude deals for two important parts of its structure – the extremely popular Twenty/20 competition and the newly formed League Development XI who are to play a series of matches against First Class County Second XI and Academies during the forthcoming season.

Keith Tunnicliffe, the League Manager, said “The League is recognised as one of the best Premier Leagues in the Country by the ECB, and we are always striving to improve our administration, grounds and facilities, coaching for junior players, fair play and general standards of cricket. All players within the League are encouraged to play at the highest level possible, and the commitment of the League officials is to provide the best possible opportunities, especially for our younger players. The unsung heroes at our clubs devote much time and effort to accommodate players from all walks of life and provide a competitive game of cricket for them to test their skills. This sponsorship will help stabilise our finances, assist clubs to meet the rising costs of running such a large organisation, and hopefully improve our profile throughout the community. We have always had great pride in the high calibre players attracted to play in our League, and the magnificent work put in by our clubs in improving their facilities in order to develop our talented youngsters, thus creating an excellent safe environment for them to play their sport. The sponsors now involved with the League are not only providing financial assistance to help us progress to the next level, but they are also prepared to give our individual clubs the opportunity to raise much needed funds for themselves.”

Celebrations were in full swing as a Staffordshire training provider crowned its 10,000th learner.

PM Training, a social enterprise which tackles worklessness among young people, marked the milestone by handing teenager Jess Wakefield a life-changing opportunity.

The 17-year-old, from Cross Heath, was given a golden ticket to embark on a painting and decorating apprenticeship – a career that she has long dreamed of.

“I have always been interested in art and design but thought that painting and decorating was a job for boys,” said Jess, a former pupil at St. John Fisher High School.
“When I left school I gave hair and beauty a go but knew all along that my heart wasn’t in it.”

Unemployment in the North Staffordshire area may be higher than regional and national averages, but Jess was determined not to become another statistic.

“Connexions introduced me to PM Training and I haven’t looked back,” said Jess, who recently began an NVQ course in painting and decorating.
She added: “To be offered an apprenticeship is fantastic and now I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Mo Chaudry, who shot to fame on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire, also presented Jess with an annual pass to WaterWorld to mark her achievement.

The self-made millionaire, who has a strong track record in creating and sustaining employment and generating business in the regional economy, joined forces with PM Training last year to act as a mentor to the hundreds of young local people that the organisation helps.

He said: “I realised following the life changing experience on Secret Millionaire that young people need positive role models in their lives in order to become more motivated, gain confidence and make a go of their lives.
“As a result I have relished the opportunity to work with young people at PM Training. Jess is an excellent example of such a person who now believes that anything is possible.”

PM Training, part of the Aspire Group, is consistently the most successful training provider in Staffordshire with apprenticeship opportunities in construction trades, business administration, engineering, landscaping, manufacturing and customer services.

Chief Executive Will Nixon said: “We have been supporting and supplying apprentices to local companies since 1982.
“Celebrating our 10,000th learner is not only a major milestone for us, but an achievement for the community too – we are successfully working together to transform employment prospects for the region.
“Jess is a first class example of an enthusiastic young person who has been given the skills, support and opportunities that she needed to turn her life around.”

For more information: Anna Watts or Jeremy Kemp at Quicksilver PR on
01564 773366 or 07817 249 793

Mo Chaudry, who shot to fame as one of Channel 4’s ‘Secret Millionaires’, oversaw the presentations yesterday when Staffordshire training providers’ reached the milestone of its 10,000th apprentice.

“PM Training deserve a much higher profile than they have,” said Mr Chaudry, who owns the WaterWorld attraction in Stoke-on-Trent. “They provide over 1,000 job and training opportunities each year and 70% of their trainees go on to pursue long-term training or permanent employment – that is one of the highest success rates in the country!”
PM Training operates as a social enterprise (a business with social objectives) targeting unemployed teenagers who leave school without qualifications, as well as those facing exclusion from education.

Chief Executive Will Nixon said: “We have been supporting and supplying apprentices to local companies since 1982.

“Celebrating our 10,000th learner is not only a major milestone for us, but an achievement for the community too – we are successfully working together to transform employment prospects for the region.”

Their 10,000th success, 17-year-old Jess Wakefield, was given the opportunity to embark on a career that she has long dreamed of when she was enrolled on a painting and decorating apprenticeship yesterday.
Unemployment in the North Staffordshire is way above the national average, but Jess is determined not to become another statistic.
“To be offered an apprenticeship is fantastic and now I’m really looking forward to the future,” she said.
Mr Chaudry, who has become a champion of creating and sustaining employment in Staffordshire, joined forces with PM Training last year to act as a mentor to the hundreds of young local people that they help.
“I realised while making Secret Millionaire that young people need positive role models in their lives in order to become more motivated, gain confidence and get on in life,” he said.
“As a result I have relished the opportunity to work with young people at PM Training. Jess is an excellent example of such a person who now believes that anything is possible.”