He may be only 16 but freestyle ski star Justin Taylor-Tipton is excited to give something back to the charity that has supported him through the early stages of his career on the snow.

Taylor-Tipton, already an English champion at under-16 and open age level, has been a SportsAid athlete for two years, and earlier this year, achieved three under-16 podium finishes at the British Championships in Switzerland.

SportsAid is the national charity that helps the next generation of British sporting superstars, helping them with financial support and recognition during the early stages of their careers.

At the last Winter Olympic Games in 2014, 34 out of the 56 Team GB athletes in Sochi were current or previous SportsAid athletes, with alumnus Lizzy Yarnold winning the team’s only gold of the Games.

On October 22, Taylor-Tipton will host The Charity Jam at Stoke Ski Centre with proceeds going to the charity, and the Kirk Hallam Academy pupil admits he wouldn’t be the athlete he is today without SportsAid’s support.

“I did a charity event last year but this time I chose SportsAid because I wanted to give something back to them,” said Taylor-Tipton, who received his 2016 SportsAid award from Nottingham Building Society.

“It makes me feel really good about myself that I can give them something back, because the money will go back into young athletes like me and help them like SportsAid have helped me.

“They have helped me for a few years now, helping me financially and getting me out there more.

“I think it’s so important that SportsAid support young athletes, because without them, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that I’ve been given.

“I wouldn’t be able to go abroad as often, hitting the big jumps and doing all my tricks, because you can’t do that in the UK as the jumps are so small, so they’ve really helped me to develop my performance.”

This summer has been a busy one for Taylor-Tipton, travelling around Europe and further afield in order to train on the snow in preparation for competition season.

October will see him head to Chill Factore in Manchester for the British Indoor Snowboard and Freeski Championships, and with dreams of competing at the Winter Olympic Games in the future, he is determined to walk away with the top prize.

“Next up for me is the British Indoor Championships, and last year I came second overall in the open age category, so I’d love to get top spot this time,” he said.

“It would mean so much to me to become a British champion because there are so many good skiers in the UK, so it would be really good.

“In May, I went to Dubai with the GB team, which was great because I’d love to compete at that level one day.

“I’m doing a lot of Europa Cups this year to help me get points, which will help me get into the national squad.

“It’s my dream to compete at the Winter Olympics and the X-Games one day. I’d love to be in Pyeongchang in 2018 but I think it’s too soon for me, so I’m aiming for the 2022 Olympics instead.”

You can make a real difference to the next generation of British athletes heading for Tokyo 2020 and beyond by getting involved in SportsAid Week – a brand new fundraising initiative taking place from Monday 26 September to Sunday 2 October 2016. Please visit http://www.sportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek/ to find out more.