Lucy Beere: Commonwealth Games silver medallist crowdfunds World Championships trip

Lucy Beere's silver medal for Guernsey last summer was the island's first medal at a Commonwealth Games since 1990

Guernsey's Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lucy Beere has raised the money she needs to compete at this year's World Bowls Championships.

The 40-year-old won Guernsey's first Games medal in 28 years last summer.

But she had to crowdfund to raise the £10,000 needed for her and doubles partner Rose Ogier to compete in Australia's Gold Coast in August.

The pair raised £5,600 from people online while a private donor pledged the rest of the money needed.

"Thank you so much to the Guernsey public, but not just the Guernsey public, I've had donations from all around the world," Beere told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"Without them I wouldn't be speaking so cheerily, I'd be rather more depressed."

Beere was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for her achievement in Birmingham last summer, where she lost 21-17 to Australia's Ellen Ryan in the Commonwealth Games women's singles final.

It was Guernsey's first medal since since shooters Adrian Breton and Graham le Maitre won bronze in 1990.

"What the future holds regarding us going into these competitions for future events we don't know, let's hope this will encourage some big sponsors and companies to come forward to guarantee us being able to compete in them," she added.

"But we've got the money and we can now focus on the job in hand which is our training schedule and thinking about the championships rather than thinking about how the heck we're going to get the money.

"We're not just there to compete, we're there to go out and win," she added.

"There's no reason why, as long as we're playing well, why we can't do that.

"We've mixed it with the best in pairs and I have in singles, so there's no reason why at all, if things all come together, that we can't bring something home and still fly the flag for Guernsey."