A new charity foundation set up by Wembley Stadium to support sporting groups in the borough has been launched by Olympic stars.

Boxer James DeGale, who was born in Brent and won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, joined England Women’s most capped footballer Rachel Yankey to launch the Wembley National Stadium Trust this morning.

The trust, which gets its funding from the stadium but is managed independently, was part of the agreement to secure lottery funding for the building of the 90,000-seater venue and will hand out grants for the next 50 years.

It will use its budget of approximately £1million – one per cent of the stadium’s gross revenue – to make grants of up to £2,500 to local community sports groups, with the first round of donations supporting activities close to the stadium.

Eventually, the trust will widen its remit and provide larger grants for more substantial projects across the capital and nationwide.

For more information and to apply for a grant for your organisation, click here.