MORE than £45,000 has been awarded to groups in Wiltshire and Swindon to encourage and inspire young people through sport.

Made By Sport, a national charity that raises awareness of the power of playing and competing, chose Wiltshire Community Foundation to distribute grants to clubs and groups because of its knowledge of the county’s voluntary sector.

It wanted to reach groups working with young people to develop life skills, improve job prospects or reduce anti-social behaviour and crime.

Shine Pinehurst was awarded £5,000 to run sport sessions for young people from low-income families on the estate. Friday Football was launched after a conversation with a mum and her 11-year-old son because she wouldn't let him out of the house because she was afraid he would be picked up and exploited by people involved in drug trafficking.

Chairman Simon Halls said: “The young lad wanted somewhere safe and fun where he could go and play with his friends where his mum would feel confident to let him out. It just started from there really.”

"The church hires the Astro-Turf at Swindon Academy to run the sessions, which are organised by the youngsters themselves. Last week we had 94 young people there so it continues to be a really popular thing where young people can come and enjoy themselves.

“The parents tell us that because our youth workers are there to ensure safety they feel confident about their children being looked after and that’s the difference the grant has made.”

The grant will also fund summer sports activities in Pinehurst. “Last summer we had around 40 young people per session,” said Mr Halls. “The young people were involved in running the sessions, getting the equipment out and registering people as they arrived. We’ll be doing it again but we’ll be doing it bigger this year thanks to the grant.”

Swindon Storm American Football team received £2,021 to allow it to buy new equipment for young players joining the club as it begins training again after Covid. The club has two junior teams and had to put on hold the launch of an under 11s side because of the pandemic.

Coach John McCarthy said: “This means that a higher percentage of young people, especially those from low income families, will be able to play the sport, and benefit from all of the amazing opportunities it will offer them to develop their life skills and employability skills.”

The club has around 60 players but there are new recruits making enquiries all the time, which reflects the growing popularity of the NFL in the UK. “This grant will enable Swindon Storm to maintain the momentum of its growth at a pre pandemic rate,” said Mr McCarthy.

Swindon Shock Ladies Basketball team received £2,021 towards new equipment and the cost of hiring a new venue for coaching and matches. Coach Stuart Coffey said Covid restrictions on indoor sports halls have meant the team hasn’t met or played together for a year.

Numbers have dwindled but he believes he can get back to more than 40 once a new venue is secured. “We are looking at how we are going to run the sessions and where. We have around 12 players on the books now but once we get on the phone ringing round we’ll get another half a dozen back. We always need more players though.”

He said the grant will also be useful in helping equip new players. “It’s a real help because you want to give someone new a ball so they can develop their skills on their own and a short so that they feel they belong.

“We are only one of three ladies’ basketball teams in Wiltshire so it’s really important we keep going and we are very grateful for the grant.”

Wiltshire Community Foundation joint chief executive Fiona Oliver said: “Our thanks go to Made By Sport for this funding. We are really pleased and proud to have brought this money into the county. We’ve been inspired by the work described in the applications and delighted that the grants will be used to help young people recover from what has been a very difficult 16 months.

“Sport is such a universal activity that brings people closer together and gives them a sense of teamwork, achievement and enjoyment. We are fortunate that we have so many fantastic groups who are using the power of that to reach young people and change their lives for the better.”

Find out more about the community foundation’s work at wiltshirecf.org.uk