Abbeymead Rovers FC will receive £21, price 000 from the council’s Active Together scheme, after having their application accepted by Gloucestershire County Council.
Abbeymead Rovers FC runs boys, girls, men, ladies and disability teams in Gloucester, providing opportunities for the local community to keep active since they formed in 1997. Last year the club was the Gloucestershire Media community club of the year, in recognition of the amount of work they do within the local area.
The funds received will be used by the club to install outdoor gym and training equipment at Clock Tower Park in Abbeymead and also close to the Abbeydale Sports and Community Centre at Glevum Way Park. These will be accessible to all of the community as a means of encouraging more people to improve their health and wellbeing.Some of the funding will also be used to purchase equipment, such as goals, to support the growth of walking football for older people in the area.
The county council launched the Active Together grants last year in a bid to increase the health and well being of our communities by supporting local projects. Each 53 electoral division in the county is given £40,000 Active Together funding, with grants ranging from £50 to £40000 and need the backing of a local county councillor to go ahead.
Since the Active Together scheme started, the funding has helped 226 community led initiatives across the county. These have ranged from sports teams to outdoor gyms, art projects, skateboard parks to healthy lifestyle education clubs.
Cllr Andrew Gravells, cabinet member for public health at Gloucestershire County Council and City Councillor for Abbey ward said, “I’m really pleased that the Active Together funding has been so well received, and that we have been able to give this support to Abbeymead Rovers FC. They are providing a great service to the local community, and this grant recognises the massive contribution they’ve made here
We’re really keen to support more community groups, so I would encourage people to get in touch with their ideas and help people in the county get active, together.”
Speaking after receiving confirmation of the grant, Stuart Langworthy, Chairman of Abbeymead Rovers FC said: “We’ve been working very hard with the local community to improve the facilities available in the area, and this grant from Gloucestershire County Council’s Active Together fund will help us do that.
I’m very grateful for the support that Cllr Gravells has shown us throughout the application process.”
For more information and how to apply for this year’s funding visit: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/activetogether,speak to your local county councillor or email: activetogether@gloucestershire.gov.uk