Mary Peters Trust presents 2025 Make It Happen awards
19th Dec 2025
Hockey goalkeeper Lola Henderson and elite boxer Louis Rooney are celebrating the festive season each winning a £2000 Make it Happen funding award from the Mary Peters Trust.
The Trust’s ‘Make It Happen’ awards have been presented annually since 2014 to outstanding athletes who are selected from a top-class field following a competitive interview process. The winning applicants are those who are deemed to benefit most from accessing specialist cutting-edge training and development opportunities to help propel their sporting careers to the next level.
Eighteen-year-old Lola from Tobermore has played hockey for her school – Magherafelt’s Rainey Endowed – as well as club hockey for Owls and Ulster Elks. Lola this year obtained a place at elite sporting university Loughborough near Nottingham in England and has moved up to the Ireland Women’s U21s squad. Her Trust funding award will support a training and development programme with the Ireland U21s team with the aim of progressing to Irish senior level hockey.
“I’ve just completed my first term at Loughborough University, and it’s been brilliant both academically and, on the sports field, playing hockey for the university team. My key goal for 2026 is to secure a place on the Irish U21 team which will hopefully qualify for the 2026 Women’s EuroHockey U21 Championships hosted by Valencia, Spain next July.
“I became a Mary Peters Trust athlete in 2025 and am also thrilled to be given a special Make It Happen funding award to support travel and training costs. I train regularly in Dublin as well as travelling abroad and support from the Trust really means a lot.”
Lola has represented and won with Ulster at Interpros Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024. She was part of the Ireland U16 squad progressing to the U18s for a two-year period before joining the Ireland U21s squad this year. Lola has also won a gold medal with the Irish U18s at the Euro Championship II in July 2025.
European bronze and gold medallist, boxer Louis Rooney returned home from Budapest in November with a European U23 50kg Championship Bronze under his belt.
“In Hungary during November I was really hoping for gold but was thrilled to bring back a bronze for Team Ireland. I’ve been lucky enough to have had Mary Peters Trust funding support for the past couple of years, providing vital help to enable me to attend international tournaments and championships,” says 20-year Louis who boxes for Star Amateur Boxing Club in North Belfast.
“In addition to helping with travel costs, grants aid purchase of nutritional supplements as well as important training equipment. I’m so grateful to Mary and her Trust.”
Just ahead of Christmas Louis qualified for and will compete in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and his dream goal would be to represent Ireland at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Also, on his sporting ‘to do’ list for 2026 is the European Championships in Italy where Louis will aim to raise the bar on this year’s event with a silver or gold medal.
Louis is currently ranked 10th in the world in his category of U23 light flyweight and number one in Europe, Ireland and Northern Ireland. A two times Irish Elite champion (2025 and 2024) Louis took Gold at the European 2024 U23 Championships and in 2025 won bronze in the Strandja International World Cup and became Romanian Golden Belts Champion.
Congratulating both Louis and Lola, Lady Mary Peters said, “Make it Happen funding awards are presented to the very best of our emerging young talent and are vital in making a difference to an athlete’s pathway to success.
“Both athletes have taken the next step on their sporting journeys, and I’ll be following their progress over the coming years.”
Joining Lola and Louis as 2025 Make it Happen award winners is table tennis competitor Peadar Sheridan who collected a Power NI Make it Happen award.
