FUNDING CUT HITS GYMNAST

Carson’s Commonwealth Games dreams have been dealt a massive blow with news that his funding has been cut by Sport NI.

And the gymnast is looking for your help him get to Glasgow to compete for Northern Ireland.

Luke’s funding was cut after he had fought back from a career-threatening injury.

He said, “I sustained a stress fracture in my left leg which ruled me out of the London Olympics, but I ignored the doctors’ advice and kept on training as I knew I could achieve my goals.

“I competed in a couple of championships, but unfortunately I ended up suffering a nasty fracture. I ended up having to go through a major operation which involved me getting a plate and four screws inserted into my leg, and even then doctors were telling me that I might not train again.

“I was out of action for a while and it was during this time that the sports council informed me that they would be cutting my funding as I hadn’t reached my targets - of course I couldn’t as I’d just suffered a massive injury.”

Despite this blow Luke continued to train, using his savings to fund his gym fees and accomodation in Huntington,where he now trains alongside TeamGB.

“I have hit my qualification targets already,” Luke added, “but the likelihood is that my savings will run out shortly and that I won’t be able to afford to go to Glasgow unless I find some source of support.

“I started a campaign on Twitter to raise awareness. My goal was to get enough people talking about it, but I have 9,000 followers on Twitter and I thought that if I could get 1,000 of them to donate just £1 a month that this would help me reach my goals.”

So far Luke has received wide ranging support from as far afield as Brazil and America, but he still has not received enough to keep him going.

And he needs the support of his hometown to see him over the line.

“There is a link on my Twitter feed to a blog which tells my story and at the bottom of it there is a donate button where people can give a single donation or make a monthly contribution.

“None of the money will be profit and everything will go towards funding my rent, gym fees, food costs and travel costs.

“Any help will be massively appreciated. It is hard enough training twice a day, six days a week without having to worry about financial issues.”

Luke is the brother of swimmer Bethany Carson, who also has her sights set on Glasgow 2014.