Children in Hadston in Northumberland are celebrating after their local sports club won new funding from Isos.
The landlord awarded the Red Row Sports Kickstart Sports Club a total of £3,044.55 through its ‘My Community Fund’ to buy new equipment for children and young people in the community to use.
Lindsey Porter from the Community Involvement Team visited the club to see for herself how the Isos investment will help children develop their skills.
The club is focused on developing children’s ‘Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS)’ and also help raise their self-esteem, confidence and team-working skills.
Head coach John Robertson has now been able to invest in new gymnastics equipment for the club including three benches, two springboards, two ‘movement tables’ and some foam tunnels for obstacle courses.
The project has also benefited from funding through Northumberland Clubs for Young People, East Chevington Parish Council, and a donation of funding secured by county councillor Scott Dickinson.
Mr Robertson said: “The Isos investment allows us to buy some more equipment – £3,000 is a lot of money for a club like this, and we can buy some really excellent kit. We’re very grateful.
“We usually get between 10 and 20 kids turning up for the club, aged from 4 to 11.
“I’ve been teaching PE in schools for 20 years now, and there is a real problem with what we would call the demise of ‘background play.’
“That means children simply playing out on the streets, climbing trees, playing games etc. Unfortunately, it does not happen very often these days.
“So at our club we teach what are called fundamental movement skills (FMS) which really help children to move on to other sports.
“There are areas in rural Northumberland with nothing like this. Kids have to go to Alnwick, Morpeth or Ashington to find good facilities, and for many families, that’s too much money – it’s quite an expense with bus fares etc.
“So our idea is to improve kids fundamental movement skills, in a club with prices people can afford.”
Lindsey Porter, community involvement officer for Isos said: “We’re really pleased to support the Kickstart club. So many children benefit from the coaching that John and his volunteers provide – this community is lucky to have such dedicated people working with the younger generation.”
Mr Robertson said he also wanted to recognise the important funding which Red Row Kickstart has secured in the past from the National Lottery, Sport England, the Schofield Trust and Northumbria Police.