Britain claimed a record 38 medals, 12 of which were gold, and all the medallists from Christchurch have been invited onto or are retained on the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP).

In the first phase of funding selection reviews in November 2010, only eight of the Paralympic programme athletes were reviewed with the remaining athletes selected for the World Championships and automatically retained until March 1, 2011. 

But after New Zealand, a total of 43 Paralympic athletes have now been included in this cycle of support that will play a crucial role in the build up to both London 2012 and Rio 2016. 

The programme, which runs annually from December to November, is split into two levels of funding - Podium and Development - each with strict criteria and standards which must be met for selection throughout the year with the support of UK Athletics staff.

A total of 26 Paralympic athletes have been named alongside Weir at Podium level with, perhaps the most notable addition, being Richard Whitehead who is new onto the programme for the 2010/11 cycle.

Whitehead claimed victory in the men’s 200 metresT42 race in New Zealand to secure funding and is joined by fellow World Championship gold medallist Bethany Woodward who moves up to Podium level from Development level.

At Development level, 15-year-old Jade Jones, who is coached by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, is rewarded with a spot for reaching three World Championship finals in New Zealand. 

She is joined on the Development programme alongside team mates Scott Moorhouse, Jonnie Peacock and Kieran Tscherniawsky who were also finalists in New Zealand on their senior international debuts.

Peter Eriksson, UK Athletics Head Coach for the Paralympics, said: "We’ve had to make a number of tough decisions to make, but the performances of our athletes in New Zealand gave us a good indication of who could make the step up to the highest level of competition. 

"Our more experienced athletes did, in the main, continue to deliver medals on the global stage and have been rewarded for their efforts, while our junior athletes - many of whom were selected onto the team for high quality competition experience - have proved that while Rio 2016 may be their realistic target, London 2012 is very much a possibility, and a podium one at that.

"This support from UKA and the National Lottery gives every athlete the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to graduate into an exceptional professional and in turn continue to evidence why they have been included on the WCPP going forward."

The full World Class Performance Programme for 2010/11 can be viewed by clicking here. 

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