Stafford Borough Council and businesses around the town have all rallied around the 39-year-old as she bids to become only the third British Olympian after javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson and fencer Bill Hoskyns to compete at six Olympics.

Williamson, who claimed her only Olympic medal at the Athens 2004 Games when she won bronze, has been loaned a BMW car between now and London 2012 by a local car dealer and been donated of a pair of binoculars for competition from a local photographers with the idea of Team Stafford being driven by the Borough Council, ASDA and local newspaper The Newsletter.

"I am really grateful to everyone," said Williamson, who won a silver medal in the women's team recurve event at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games as one-third of an England team that also featured Amy Oliver and Naomi Folkard.

"I do feel as though I am not competing on my own any more, but that I have the whole town behind me and I want to make Stafford proud.

"I hope everyone feels that they can be part of the Olympic experience too - you don't have to live in London."

Along with a car and a pair of binoculars to use as part of her equipment at shoots at home and abroad, Williamson is also benefitting from an ASDA sports award, free haircuts, cinema and theatre tickets and gym membership, donated by the Borough council, among other things as she bids to compete at Lord's Cricket Ground where Olympic archery will be staged.

Mike Smith, the Deputy Leader of Stafford Borough Council and also the cabinet member for leisure said he is delighted to be supporting Williamson, who has competed at every Summer Olympics since Barcelona 1992.

"It is any athletes dream to represent their country – so to have done so at five consecutive Olympic Games is phenomenal," he said.

"I am sure the whole town will be proud to see Alison walking out at Lord's.

"We are so pleased to be able to support her and really hope this can help in some small way to her getting to London 2012."

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