As we persevere through yet another national lockdown, sport and leisure facilities throughout the county remain closed for public use. This leaves us facing the disheartening reality that coronavirus is preventing us from participating in so many of the sports that we love. However, at Adrenaline Alley in Corby (Europe's largest urban sports venue), the wheels of BMX bikes continue to spin.

Although restrictions prohibit this world-class facility from opening to the thousands of urban sport enthusiasts that would usually be visiting from all around the UK (and beyond), elite athletes are legally exempt. This means that behind closed doors and with stringent coronavirus measures in place, the Olympic hopefuls of the British Cycling BMX freestyle team can use Adrenaline Alley as their main training centre.

Team GB member, Charlotte Worthington, left her home in Manchester to live in Corby so she could train at the facility daily. She comments, “The opportunity to carry on training at Adrenaline Alley has allowed me to continue to transform my riding and simply keep the Olympic dream alive. Without it, I would be in a very tough position given the different rules worldwide; some riders have been able to train the whole time. I’m extremely grateful to still be able to train with some of the best in the world and to be able to keep some normality and focus for the sake of my mental and physical health.”

As a charity, although Adrenaline Alley cannot permit public entry until restrictions are lifted, it is hugely rewarding to continue to provide the perfect training environment for future Olympic athletes. The team hopes this will contribute to their chances of bringing home a medal from Tokyo and smile at the fact that exciting things are continuing to take place here in Northamptonshire, and that the county could be nurturing an Olympic medallist in the making.