A TOP ranked judo talent from Irvine has received a welcome boost this week.

Holly Flynn was handed a funding boost of £1,000 courtesy of Cunninghame Housing Association (CHA).

Holly is only 15, but has already asserted herself as one of the nation's top talents in the sport.

She took up judo at the age of nine, training at Irvine Judo Club. Now, she is a member of the Pro-Judo Club in Glasgow where she trains four times a week.

Holly also makes regular trips to Edinburgh, where she receives further top coaching courtesy of Judo Scotland.

The Irvine teen is currently the number one ranked athlete in Britain for her age and weight category.

She has been selected to be part of the Scotland squad for Judo Scotland and is set to take part in a number of training camps in competitions across the UK and Europe in the coming months, including events in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The funding provided by CHA is supporting Holly with the ever-increasing costs involved in attending these training camps and competing in competitions.

Her participation in these will provide Holly with the perfect platform to build her confidence and excel in her sport.

Janet Strang, chairperson of CHA, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Holly with the financial costs involved in her chosen sport, providing her with more opportunity and hopefully encouraging more young people to take up such a sport.”

The funding for Holly came from the CHA's 'Making our Communities Better Places' fund, which operates throughout the year  until the allocated funding is exhausted.

Local groups or individuals interested in finding out more about the fund can do so by visiting the association's website - cunninghame-housing.org.