Merseyside entrepreneur Barrie Wells keen to aid Olympic hopefuls including Southport’s 800m star Michael Rimmer

Dec 10 2009 by Our Correspondent, Ormskirk Advertiser

BARRIE WELLS is following his sporting passion.

The Bootle-born entrepreneur has vowed to spend £2million of his own cash helping to develop future Olympic champions.

The Wells Sports Foundation has been set up to support grassroots sports projects and the 69-year-old is also providing funding for the nation’s London 2012 hopefuls.

He has handpicked 15 elite British athletes he believes are capable of a podium place and is supporting them to the tune of £8,000 per year – among those selected is Southport’s 800m Olympian Michael Rimmer.

Multi-millionaire Wells used to run for Waterloo Harriers and his grandfather, Ernest Latimer Stones, was once the pole vault world record holder.

“I create insurance companies that I then sell to global brands and after I sold the last one, Premierline Direct, to Allianz I wondered what to do with the cash,” he said.

“Should I leave it to the kids? Or maybe buy a holiday home? I adore sport and decided that was what I wanted to do with it. I wanted to make a difference.

“I’ve been to every Olympic Games since 1972 and I was in Beijing in 2008 when I decided to set up the Foundation.

“It’s been in the pipeline for the past year and there are two sides to it with grants at grassroots level and support for those individuals I believe are capable of getting a medal in 2012.

“I picked out sports I’d go anywhere in the world to watch and then I contacted the relevant governing bodies.

“I looked at the names and then interviewed each of them. I wanted to make sure I was helping the right kind of people.”

Wells, who attended Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby, believes Rimmer fits the bill perfectly.

Rimmer made the semi-finals of the 800m in Beijing and the UK champion reached the same stage in this year’s World Championships in Berlin.