Larne clubs awarded grants to help manage impact of Covid-19

After receiving over 1,000 entries, Cash4Clubs awarded the grants of £1,000 to members of Olderfleet Rowing Club and £500 to Cairndhu Rowing Club.

Celebrating its 12th annual campaign, Cash4Clubs is a grassroots sports scheme which provides clubs with grants to improve facilities, purchase new equipment, gain coaching qualifications and generally invest in the sustainability of their club. Recognising the significant impact that Covid-19 has had on clubs’ finances, the maximum grant available has been increased to £5,000 and a total of £165,000 of grants have been allocated this year.

Cash4Clubs was launched in 2008 and has so far supported clubs with over £515,000 in funding. The charitable scheme is open to all local sports clubs in the UK & Ireland.

Given the financial hardship many clubs have faced during the Covid-19 crisis, grants have been allocated to clubs that need help to ensure they can continue the important work they do to keep their community active, beyond the pandemic.

Following their successful application via the Cash4Clubs website, members of Cairndhu Rowing Club will be spending the well-deserved cash on much needed equipment.

Secretary of Olderfleet Rowing Club, Jason Johnston said: “We are delighted to have been awarded grant aid of £1000 from Cash4Clubs. We are so thankful for this financial boost to our club, especially at a time when fund raising is extremely challenging. This money will go towards purchasing equipment which will further enhance the development and progress of Olderfleet Rowing Club in the local community.”

Cairndhu Rowing Club Coach, Lisa Lamont was delighted after receiving the news that their club was amongst the 2020 winners. “This has been a challenging year for everyone,” she said.

“Since the Covid lockdown our club has seen unprecedented numbers of new and returning members. We have had to reassess how we run and operate the club safely under Co-Vid restrictions. Our new cleaning regime is time consuming, however we are still committed to providing ‘rowing for all’ in our local community.

“We decided to apply for the Cash4Clubs grant as we were at full capacity, we really needed more equipment to facilitate our growing numbers. This grant will make a big difference to our club. It will allow us to offer more rowing opportunities for our community.”

For more details on Cash4Clubs and to stay up to date with 2021 grants, please visit: www.cash-4-clubs.com