Shereford teenager William Feneley has been handpicked to follow in the footsteps of Olympic champions Christine Ohuruogu and Mo Farah after being fast-tracked on to a sporting excellence scheme.

Feneley, who competes in mogul skiing, was singled out by British Ski and Snowboard to join a mentoring and funding scheme powered by a partnership between Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and the SportsAid charity.

Picked out as a potential star of the future, the 17-year-old, who attends Fakenham College, is one of 50 athletes across myriad sports chosen to receive financial assistance and be part of the bank's buddy system throughout 2017.

Feneley's cause will be helped, with RBC and SportsAid handing him an annual £1,000 award towards costs such as travel, accommodation and equipment, while he will also have access to former Olympic and Commonwealth champions for help and advice.

'Before the scheme, I wasn't really going away to do any long-term training camps and moguls, I've been able to go to Australia and train for a really long time out there,' he said. 'Last year I wasn't making as much progress but this year I've made finals and got a few top-10 finishes in multiple Europa Cups, so SportsAid and RBC has made a huge impact.

'My season so far is going really well – I've just got to some finals in Europa Cups, last year I wasn't doing that.

'Probably my best result so far was in Finland, in March, where I came 10th, and I'll be doing my fourth Junior World Skiing Championships soon, too.'

Feneley skis at Norfolk Snowsport Club and was talent spotted there when aged just eight years old.

He began life as an Alpine racer, but having switched to freestyle event the moguls in recent years, Feneley has only gone from strength to strength.

And the backing of SportsAid and RBC has meant Feneley's mum Jane has not been feeling the pinch of funding her son's sporting ambitions as much in the four years Will has been a SportsAid athlete.

'It has made a big difference to our lives, funding Will. Any funding we get is really, really appreciated,' she said.

'It's allowed us to send him abroad more, get more training and it's made a big difference to his career.

'Will was nominated by his governing body for a SportsAid award, and received an email saying he's been nominated and could we put in an application on his behalf.

Royal Bank of Canada, one of the largest banks in the world and Canada's largest bank by market capitalization, partners with SportsAid to provide financial support, ongoing mentoring and deserved recognition to 50 young talented British athletes looking to fulfil their sporting ambitions. For more information, visit http://www.rbc.com/.