MORE than 20 community sports clubs across Notts have been given a slice of a £1 million pot to encourage more people to take up sport.
Notts County Council set up the Sports Legacy Fund after the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The applications closed on December 31 and the first £28,000 worth of grants – ranging from £500 to £2,000 – have just been handed out.
Among the teams receiving funding is Hucknall Sports Youth Football Club, which bid for £768 to replace ageing Mini Soccer equipment which has been used for 10 years.
Alan Spray, club chairman, said increased numbers of children taking part in the sport meant the equipment needed to be in good shape.
He said: "We are delighted to have received this funding.
"We have 21 different teams to concentrate on within the club and in the current economic climate, money is a major issue, so this funding is a great help."
Swimmer Ollie Hynd, 18, of Kirkby-in-Ashfield – who won gold, silver and bronze in the 2012 Paralympic Games – has praised the scheme.
He said: "There has been a terrific response from people across Notts towards the county council's sports legacy fund – it was a great idea and we wish everyone luck with their bids.
"The level of interest demonstrates the passion for sport in our county."
Another team to get funding was Rushcliffe Squash Club, based at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre, in Boundary Road, West Bridgford.
The club has around 100 members but just ten per cent of them are women and ten per cent are children.
The club asked for £320 to start an outreach programme to attract more women and youngsters under the age of 16 into the game.
Club chairman Neil Coles said: "It was a great start to the new year to hear we have been successful from the county council with this funding.
"It means we can spend the £320 awarded on coaching equipment and laying on some free sessions to encourage, in particular, more women and children to take up the sport.
"Squash is great fun in a competitive environment and has a good social element too."
Councillor John Cottee, of Notts County Council said: "We are delighted that the Sports Legacy Fund has captured the imagination of local people and it is superb that so many people have taken the time and effort to apply.
"We anticipated a need for sports funding following London 2012 and the response has been terrific.
"We are also determined to ensure we build on the legacy of the Games without delay – which is why we are pleased to announce the first of the small scale grants.
"Congratulations to all of those successful applications – this money is sure to make a real difference and we look forward to looking at more of the bids in the coming weeks."
