Funding boost for athletics club
North Ayrshire Athletics Club have been served up a major cash boost after a successful funding bid.
The local group will receive £27,000 over three years from North Ayrshire Ventures Trust (NAVT) to help support an additional member of staff who will help promote the sport to young people across the region.
The club, along with North Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire Active Schools, KA Leisure and Scottish Athletics, has been working hard to expand provision and reach more young people than ever before.
A significant expansion of all programmes: pre school, 5 to 8-year-old programme, additional support needs sessions, holiday provision and a range of curricular and extra curricular athletics sessions has seen over 1,000 young people given the opportunity to participate.
And since the programmes started, 250 are now taking part on a regular basis.
Following the success of their work, the club wants to expand the programme and offering.
As well as building on the work already being carried out, the post will help provide athletics opportunities for people living in the most deprived areas and for people living in poverty. They also hope to provide training, volunteering and employment opportunities with a particular focus on young people.
This grant programme was developed to enable voluntary, community and social enterprises in North Ayrshire to explore new opportunities to help them grow in size and improve long-term sustainability.
Quote: We are delighted to be supporting North Ayrshire Athletics Club and we hope the funding will really help them kick on and grow athletics in the area. With support from ourselves, KA Leisure and Scottish Athletics, there has already been a significant uptake in the participation of athletics. Hopefully this additional funding, which the club are matching, will help them reach even more people and inspire many others to take up the sport. Regardless of the level you participate in, being active is so important to physical and mental wellbeing. We look forward to seeing how the club develops over the coming months.”
Quote from: Councillor Alan Hill, Cabinet Member for Communities and Islands
Kirsteen Brown President of North Ayrshire Athletics Club, said: “We are delighted to be awarded the funding and would like to thank the NAVT board for supporting us.
“The funding will be instrumental in not only allowing the club to grow in membership but will allow us to reach athletes that may not have had the opportunity previously.
“We really appreciate the support and look forward to developing athletics in the wider community.”
If you would like to apply for NAVT funding, please email infonavt@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Published: 17 February 2025