15-year-old Matthew Burke is Alderney’s youngest athlete and was selected for advanced coaching by the Guernsey Tennis and Padel Association in the run up to the Island Games. 

Matthew has been a junior member of the Alderney Tennis Club since he was five and has been coached by Kerry Wedd and his volunteer helpers along with other youngsters during Saturday mornings at the Club and during the winter at the Island Hall.  

He’ll be heading over to Guernsey with athletes from dozens of sports, including Charmaine Johnson who’ll be competing in track and field. 

Having a passion for sport isn’t unique, in fact, the entire Island Games wouldn’t happen without it, but when you speak to Charmaine you can really feel it. She’s an athlete who wanted to compete as soon as she could walk, telling Express that her earliest memories of athletics were from when she was just four years old “running in the playground and beating the boys”. 

After testing herself at school with the long jump and high jump, Charmaine’s sister took her to the local track in Kingston (Kingsmeadow Athletics Centre) where she started to develop herself professionally. 

She has since competed in pentathlons, county netball, and has represented Great Britain multiple times in track and field, the sport she’ll be representing Alderney in this year. Specifically, Charmaine will be competing in shotput, javelin, long jump and high jump. 

“If I was doing my normal ‘day job’ I'd be doing a heptathlon. So, that would be seven events over two days. But they don't do that in the Island games. So, I need to pick a few events.” 

Mark said Alderney has supplied a healthy list of competitors. 

“I know they're going to do well,” he said. “I'm looking forward to being over there... and just joining in the joy that is competition. My life was full of sport and I know what it's done for me.” 

You can listen to the full interview with Charmaine below, or wherever you get your podcasts: