A TALENTED North Ayrshire boxer has been handed a significant funding boost as she aims to continue her progress towards the big time.

Brooke Neely has enjoyed an amazing career as a youth boxer, with the teen a four-time British champion in her class and five-time national champion.

And the Ardrossan teen is now preparing to step up another level when she becomes a senior level boxer in January.

Brooke, a member of the Boxing Scotland team, splits her training between her local Irvine Vineburgh club and the Boxing Scotland High Performance Centre in Bridgeton, where she is now boxing full time.

In the next few months, Brooke has several training camps abroad with Boxing Scotland - as well as scheduled trips to Ireland with the Vineburgh Boxing Club to take part in competitions.

And in January, when she advances to senior level, she will be entitled to take part in more competitions - with qualification determined solely on weight, rather than on weight and age as at present.

Brooke was recently presented with a cheque for £1,000 from local social landlord Cunninghame Housing Association (CHA) - the third instalment of a three-year sponsorship deal.

CHA chair Lesley Keenan, who presented Brooke with the funds, said it was "fantastic" to see the progress she has made over the last three years.Lesley Keenan commented: “We are delighted to be sponsoring Brooke for a thuird year, providing her with vital financial support to allow her to continue her career in her chosen sport.

"It has been fantastic to see Brooke progress over the past three years and excel in her field and on behalf of the association, we wish her the very best for her future.”

In the new year she will be taking part in the Scottish and Great British Championships, as well as travelling back down to Sheffield to try and gain a place in Team GB - her goal for a number of years.

Brooke recently travelled to the English city to take part in Team GB training and afer receiving very positive feedback she will be aiming to impress once again.

The funding for Brooke came from the CHA's 'Making Our Communities a Better Place 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 cunninghame-housing.org where you can also download an application form.