A trust to support Wanganui's future champions to progress to the elite level in their chosen sport will be launched during the Aon Billy Webb Challenge weekend in December.
Wanganui District Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan, the driver of the Future Champions Trust, is organising a fundraising dinner as part of the Billy Webb weekend of events.
"The Aon Billy Webb event provides a great opportunity to hold a dinner that not only showcases four out of five of New Zealand's London Olympics rowing champions but also looks to the future of elite sport," Cr Baker-Hogan said.
"The Future Champions Trust will be launched at the dinner on Friday, December 7. The dinner is a fundraiser, with 100 per cent of the funds to become the seed funding for the Future Champions Trust. The trust will support Wanganui's next tier of champions to progress to the elite level in their chosen sport."
London 2012 rowing gold medallists Mahe Drysdale, Eric Murray, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, as well as the other key competitors in this year's Aon Billy Webb Challenge, will attend the dinner. The MC will be James McOnie of Sky TV, Prime and The Crowd Goes Wild, with Drysdale the guest speaker for the evening.