Sports Opportunity awards help youngsters back into activity
The Samworth Brothers Sports Opportunity Fund is helping community sports clubs start to recover from the pandemic with special ‘Bounce Back’ awards.
Fund Chairman Stephen Draisey said; “We are focusing on clubs that we have supported in the past. They are very concerned at the impact of isolation and inactivity on young people because of Covid. It’s vital to get them back and taking part in sport as soon as it is practical and safe to do. We’ve made around 30 awards to date totalling over £58,000 and there are more in the pipeline.”
The Samworth Brothers Sports Opportunity Fund supports community sports projects that help young people develop their potential through sport. The Fund was launched in October 2013 and has given or pledged awards totalling over £2 million to dateClubs are planning to use the money in many different ways. Some want to catch up with pitch and other facility maintenance or secure additional facility space. Other clubs want to help out young people and families who may find it hard to pay for activity sessions. Some are using it to pay for Covid-related costs such as cleaning and sanitiser products.
Clubs and organisations that have received awards include Leicester City Hockey Club, Mount Group Riding for the Disabled (Melton), Coach Annie Z Foundation (Leicester), Melton Foxes Junior Football Club, YMA Cricket Club (Leicester), Asfordby Amateurs Ladies & Girls FC, Callington Cricket Club (Cornwall), Leicester Sharks Swimming Club, Mowbray Rangers, St Matthews Big Local (Leicester), Melton Mowbray Swimming Club, Waterfront Sports & Education Academy (Leicester), Leicester Combat Academy, CKI Martial Arts (Leicester), Launceston Cricket Club, Plymouth Amateur Rowing Club, YMCA Plymouth, Leicester & Rutland Youth Sailing Association, Winstanley Wizards Table Tennis Club (Leicestershire).
“Prior to the current lockdown the club needed to extend its classes as due to social distancing we were restricted to the number of young people we can have in one class. The funding from Samworth Brothers allowed us to bring in an extra coach.Due to the risk of infection, equipment such as gloves and skipping ropes can no longer be shared and the funding has also allowed us to purchase additional equipment such as boxing gloves and skipping ropes for use in the future.”
Nasser Hussain, Chairman, Leicester Combat Academy (martial arts)
“We are very grateful for the Samworth Brothers Sports Opportunity Bounce Back Grant.
With the grant we secured four sets of new blades allowing us to restore some single crewed boats back to the water again. The need for clubs, sports and local groups within our communities is required more than ever to deal with the potential legacy of social exclusion from the pandemic. It has brought about the need to support each other. We thank Samworth Brothers for their continued assistance over the years.”
Dave Reeby, Plymouth Amateur Rowing Club