A coronavirus funding scheme for Carlisle community sports groups has been extended and is now available for groups planning to reopen later this month.
Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council have been working in partnership to support Carlisle community-based sports groups and launched a joint Sport Hardship Fund in January 2021.
As part of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown organised outdoor sports will be able to restart from Monday 29 March. As restrictions begin to lift and sports groups begin to start thinking about starting up activity again, the criteria for the Sport Hardship Fund has been reviewed and extended. In a return to sporting activity additional costs may be incurred to ensure that clubs are able to reopen in a COVID secure way, which may include:
- Additional sports equipment to minimise sharing and safely deliver activities.
- Providing safety and sanitation to keep equipment clean.
- Extra facility hire costs to create more space for players and volunteers.
- Appropriate training of club volunteers to ensure they meet current guidelines.
- Marketing and communication materials to promote and reinforce safety protocols to members.
Leader of Carlisle City Council, Cllr John Mallinson, said:
“The revised Carlisle Sports Hardship Fund will support local clubs to ensure that a return to sporting activity is as safe as possible for volunteers and participants.
“The health and wellbeing of our local residents is one of our top priorities and it’s important that we do all we can to support local community groups. We need to protect them and their valuable services during these challenging and unprecedented times.”
Cllr Deborah Earl, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities, added:
“Sports groups and clubs provide access to all sorts of activities that help people stay healthy, active and fit. We know the grant fund will help many to protect their services from closure due to the ongoing Covid restrictions, and I’d urge any not-for-profit organisations to come forward and apply for funding.”
The fund will continue to prioritise financial support to not for profit sporting organisations which have reducing financial resources resulting in hardship and possible closure, due to the pandemic.
Sports clubs wanting to apply or to find out more about the funding scheme should contact [email protected]
Additional information for other sources of funding can be found on the Active Cumbria website https://www.activecumbria.org/workforce/funding/ or please contact Aileen Grant, Carlisle Locality Officer [email protected]