Pictured above: (l-r) David Vickers, Rebecca Dell and Peter Brookes

A promising Stone rower making waves in the sporting world has become the first recipient of the newly created Knights BMW Sporting Promise Bursary.

The £500 award from the Staffordshire dealer group will part fund a boat for St Joseph's School pupil Rebecca Dell, who has been rowing for more than four years.

Fifteen year old Rebecca, who trains at Trentham Boat Club, has already competed at a national level, representing England in the under 18 category in the Home Inter Regional Regatta, where the team won silver.

Rebecca was chosen for the bursary, which will be awarded on an annual basis, for her commitment and dedication to the sport, which has already seen her pick up national gold medals.

Knights BMW finance director Peter Brookes said the Sporting Promise bursary had been created to help up and coming local athletes like Rebecca achieve their goals.

"The BMW and MINI dealer group has strong links to the community and sports clubs in the area including sponsorship of Stoke City FC," he said.

"We wanted to help encourage and develop young sporting talent in Staffordshire and we hope we have done that by introducing the sporting bursary.

"Rebecca has a bright future ahead of her and I hope receiving these funds will help her on the way there.  The fact that she is a rower with Olympic ambitions is an added bonus, since BMW is one of the main sponsors of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics."

Rebecca, who hopes to study biochemistry at Oxford or Cambridge, will use the money to part fund the purchase of a Stämpfli carbon fibre boat, which she will use at races throughout the country.

"Receiving the Knights Sporting Promise bursary has made a real difference in the plans I can make for 2011 and will help to fund the purchase of a used boat, which will help massively with my training," she said.

"It will also help meet some of the costs of competing in events including travel, insurance and race fees.

"I hope to go on and achieve national and international success by become part of the GB Rowing Squad and competing  in the Olympics and the World Championships.

"I'm proud to be the first recipient of the Knights BMW Sporting Promise Bursary and hope to achieve success that  the team at Knights BMW will be equally proud of."