W3ST gets £5k boost for cabins
Lottery cash will buy changing facilities
Strathaven’s W3ST project has been given a timely boost thanks to National Lottery funding.
The Whiteshawgate 3G Sports Trust were granted £5000 from the National Lottery Awards for All Scotland programme, which will allow them to buy a new portable cabin changing facility.
That will allow them to hire out the ambitious facility, bringing with it a source of income.
W3ST, a community project between Strathaven Rugby Club and Strathaven Dynamo to build and maintain a fullsized 3G pitch in the town, are one of 500 groups across the country to benefit from over £3.8 million in National Lottery funds.
Fifty-one sport and physical activity community projects will benefit from the investment, which in many cases will allow grassroots sports clubs will now get the green light to go ahead.
Stewart Harris, sportscotland chief executive, said: “At sportscotland we believe in the power of sport and its ability to bring communities together.
“Almost £4 million of National Lottery Awards for All Scotland funding announced through this initiative will make a huge difference to local groups and clubs with ambition to provide more and better opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity in the heart of their communities.”
Grant Law, chair of W3ST said: “We can’t thank the National Lottery, Scottish Football Partnership and Strathaven Rotary Club enough for their very kind donations for our changing facilities appeal.
“They have been a great support when we were building the pitch and it is great to see them believing in what we are trying to achieve once again with this new financial support.”
The W3ST project was created in 2015 with the initial goal of raising £670,000 to build the pitch, but they also need £25,000 every year to maintain the facility.
Grant added: “We have two options with varying costs that we are pursuing right now, but the important thing is to make the right choice for everyone.
“What we can say is that the new changing facilities will allow us to hire out the pitch and create an income which will allow us to maintain and improve even further this great facility.
“Pitches at the John Hastie Park, where Strathaven Dynamo have traditionally played, are great and they will still use them – but to have a facility where rugby and football training, and games, will not be cancelled due to bad weather is a great relief and a boost for everyone.
“It also saves thousands of midweek car journeys each year to East Kilbride for Dynamo training.
“Since the new facility has opened the grass is growing really well on the new rugby pitch and we can’t wait for that to be ready for use, but we are now concentrating on trying to get the changing facilities in place for the 3G and offer more extensive use of the allweather pitch for our teams and visitors.”
Since opening in March, the W3ST facility has been well received. Grant said: “The new facility has already proved to be extremely popular with the players, coaches and committee members, not to mention parents of the Dynamo players who don’t have to travel to East Kilbride, Stonehouse, Hamilton or beyond to take their kids to training.
“More than that, it is great to see many other members of the public regularly using the pitch when the two main clubs are not. There is a real feeling that it has very quickly become an excellent asset for the whole community.”
It is great to see them believing in what we are trying to achieve