Ron Pickering OBE was one of British sport’s great visionaries. He was a former Physical Education teacher and national athletics coach, also remembered as the voice of athletics on BBC commentaries. When he died unexpectedly in 1991, his wife Jean, set up the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund to help young British athletes fulfil their potential.

Since then, supported by the Trustees and a network of volunteers, the fund has raised and awarded over £1.5 million in small but significant grants to several thousand talented young British athletes,   Over two thirds of the British athletics Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012 had at some stage of their careers received support from the Fund, including all of the London 2012 Olympic athletics medallists.