YOUNGSTERS TO BENEFIT FROM SCHOOLS OUT FUNDING

School holidays are covered for the next three years after a local partnership secured funding for sports activities. Notts County FC Football in the Community, Nottingham City Council and local community groups have been successful in securing funding to deliver school holiday activities for children and young people across Nottingham from the BIG Lottery’s Reaching Communities fund.
The ‘School’s Out’ partnership, which also includes Futures, Playworks and other community and voluntary organisations, submitted the bid as part of their commitment to deliver affordable, accessible school-holiday activities to children and young people over the next three years, making them more active and helping them to learn new skills.
The total project cost is £557,000 with BIG Lottery contributing £330,000. The sizeable award means the partnership will be able to deliver a wide-range of sports and arts activities across Nottingham. These will be delivered at Nottingham City Council’s leisure centres, as well as other localised community venues.
Reaching Communities funds projects that help people and communities most in need. Their main outcomes are to give people better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills; develop stronger communities, with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems; and developing healthier and more active people and communities.
Steve Hill, community director at NCFC FITC’s award-winning scheme, said: “We’ve been delivering a similar project in partnership with the Council and are delighted we’re able to continue this work. We work in all areas of Nottingham every day and are keen to extend our commitment to helping people of all ages and abilities to become more active and healthier. Securing this funding for School’s Out is a step towards being able to achieve our ambitions.”
Councillor Dave Trimble added: “I’m really pleased that through our partnership with Notts County FC FITC, we have been able to secure lottery funding so that we can continue to provide affordable holiday sports schemes for local children. With tough times hitting local families as well as the council, we are always looking at ways to help them.”