Trust’s donation a boost for surf club
Foam boards bought with $6640 grant
Foxton Surf and Life Saving Club has received a grant of $6640 from the New Zealand Community Trust to buy five new 8”10 and two 10”6 foamy race boards.
Executive committee member Adam Radish said, “Foamy boards are an integral part of our kit when it comes to both sport competition and encouraging new members to stay long term and become lifeguards.
“The skills learnt and developed by young athletes riding race boards are directly transferable to riding rescue boards once they become lifeguards.
“Our younger children need to start on the foamy boards to gain the skills and confidence needed to move onto fibreglass ones.
“Like most sporting equipment that gets used frequently, foamy boards have a finite lifespan and our fleet of boards are in many cases no longer fit for purpose. We required the different sizes so that all children can participate.
“The vision of our club is to provide equal opportunity to all members and to ensure all our members can enjoy the same benefits and opportunities.
“This is challenging in that local schools render low decile ratings which means many local families have very limited disposable income.
“We must rely on the generosity of organisations like NZCT to assist us financially and provide sporting equipment that can be used by all our members.
“Children are the future of our club and teaching them water safety skills is imperative when we live in a country surrounded by water. Teaching children to ride boards and to be safe in the water not only helps to keep them safe, but also develops skills which are directly transferable to becoming a lifeguard in the future.”
Currently 80 junior surf children and their families directly benefit from the generosity of NZCT’s grant.
For more information, please contact Rachel Straker at administration@ foxtonslsc.co.nz or call 027 501 2280.