An archery club in West Yorkshire has secured Return to Play funding from Sport England's Community Asset Fund.
Sport England has opened a £16.5m return to play fund to help people safely return to play as the Covid-19 crisis begins to ease.
The Valley Bowmen of Huddersfield will receive an award of £50,000 of Sport England funding, which will pay for the provision of an indoor shooting range (8m x 25m) at the archery club, whose established archery field is located near Meltham, Holmfirth. The Valley Bowmen of Huddersfield was founded in 1963, is affiliated to Archery GB and currently has more than 130 members, drawn from local communities.
Sport England's Investment Partner, Howard Thompson, said: Â"On behalf of Sport England, I wish you well in the current difficult circumstances and look forward to seeing how the award will help your organisation return to play.”
The membership and executive committee of the Valley Bowmen are absolutely ecstatic about this award, particularly as the club is no longer able to hire indoor shooting facilities due to changes brought about by the Covid-19 crisis.
Club Secretary, Paul McGuire, a former Huddersfield and District League footballer, said: "All that is left to do now is to secure planning permission for the new range at the club field, although with the benefits this will bring by expanding the archery season and removing the need to travel away from the club during the winter, we are very hopeful that this will be granted soon."
Local MP, Jason McCartney, said: Â"Fantastic news! I am very pleased for you all. I look forward to seeing how this funding award will allow more people to take up archery in a safe, Covid-compliant way. Once we are through the pandemic, I would be happy to visit to see the club again in person. Please keep me updated.”
The improvement to the archery facilities at the Valley Bowmen of Huddersfield is one of many ways Sport England are supporting clubs and organisations to return to play safely. The community asset fund makes awards of between £10,001 and £50,000 from a pot of £5m.
Many more communities can still benefit from the fund. Visit the dedicated Sport England Community Asset Fund page to find out more.
