Days left to get funding to create Olympic sporting legacy in Redditch (From Redditch Advertiser)

Days left to get funding to create Olympic sporting legacy in Redditch

3:40pm Tuesday 1st January 2013 in News

FUNDING to help create a lasting Olympic sporting legacy in Redditch is available for another few days.

Local sports clubs, schools, individuals and community groups are being urged to apply to Redditch Council by January 9 deadline for next year’s “Sportivate” funding, to expand existing sporting programmes or start new ideas as part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ legacy programme.

The Sport England funding programme is to encourage lifelong participation in sport through innovative and inspiring sports programmes, especially for young people and adults who would like get involved in sport or physical activity but cannot find or afford what they are looking for.

Redditch councillor Luke Stephens, who is responsible for leisure, said: “Ensuring that the generation of Britons inspired by our incredible Olympic summer has ongoing opportunities to forge that inspiration into a lifetime of activity is a top sporting priority.

“Our goal is to support the foundations on which local sport is built and I hope that local sports clubs, schools, individuals or community groups will seize this opportunity and apply for the funding. Our staff will help make the process simple and easy.”

This third year of Sportivate funding covers the period of April 2013 to March 2014 and is part of a £375,000 investment by Sport England in Herefordshire and Worcestershire over four years to get over 3,500 people permanently into sport.

To secure funding applicants must plan to run at least one session a week for six-eight weeks and aim the idea mainly at 14-25 year olds. Applicants will be expected to retain one participant per £40 of funding requested - so a scheme asking for £400 grant would need to be planned for at least 10 people to take part.

Schemes should also plan for how participants would continue the activity after the end of the programme.

Application forms and guidance notes are available at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/sportivate and the deadline is January 9. Sports development officers from the council will help as required to develop applications and improve their likelihood of success.

For more information, or to submit an application, contact Matthew Hartles in Redditch Council’s leisure and cultural team on (01527) 64252 ext. 3506 or email matthew.hartles@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk.