Sporting youngsters across Halton including footballers, rugby players and cricketers were knocked for six when Halton Housing Trust donated a massive £7800 towards their clubs.
The Trust made individual donations to four successful sports clubs in a bid to encourage more young people from across the Halton area to take part in sport, keep fit and improve their concentration levels.
Up to £7100 was donated by Lloyds TSB through the Trust’s Community Sponsorship Fund. A further £700 was put forward by Halton Housing Trust’s Community Fund.
Clubs that have benefited from this year’s sports donation include:
- Heath Rangers Junior Football Club - £350
- Brookvale Dynamos - £350
- Moorfield Cricket Club - £5000
- Halton Women’s & Girls Amateur Rugby League Club - £2100
To celebrate their cash donations and their annual sporting achievements, the four sports clubs were rewarded with a commemorative plaque at a sports presentation hosted by Halton Housing Trust.
The glass plaques were each ingrained with the motto “good luck for the coming season” to encourage ongoing participation and development in the year ahead.
During the ceremony, each organisation took part in a penalty shoot-out against the Trust’s Chief Executive, Nick Atkin. Halton Girls’ Rugby Club succeeded in scoring the most goals.
Nick Atkin, Chief Executive of Halton Housing Trust said: “We were really keen to support these groups because we wanted to give local clubs a sporting chance to build on their current success.
“We are delighted to be in a position to help so many young people from across Runcorn and Widnes and we organised the presentation in recognition of the achievements and contributions each of the teams have made so far.”
Sports clubs across Halton were invited to complete an application outlining the reasons why they should receive the money.
In 2007 the Heath Rangers Junior Football Club under nine’s were one of the first organisations to benefit from the Community Fund. The club, based in Greenway Road, Runcorn, used their Trust sponsorship money to buy new sports kits.
The team has really excelled this year, ending their season unbeaten with their biggest win being 14-0.
The Trust also sponsored Brookvale Dynamos in November 2007. The Dynamos are part of the Brookvale United Junior Football Club and are represented by players from five different parts of Runcorn. The have also used their donation to look the part and get kitted out.
In addition, Moorfield Cricket Club and Halton Women’s & Girls Amateur Rugby League Club in Belmont Road, Widnes, were provided with enough funding support to purchase new playing kits.
Moorfield Cricket Club in Moorfield Road, Widnes, were presented with their bumper cheque for £5,000 earlier this year, in celebration of 50 years of cricket played at the Moorfield Road cricket ground in Widnes.
Meanwhile, Halton Women’s & Girls Amateur Rugby League Club were recognised for having very strong relations with the Halton Youth Project and local primary and secondary schools.
The club involves women and girls from all over the borough and aims to promote the participation and development of women and girls in rugby league.