The first batch of projects have had funding awarded through Active Lincolnshire, from Sports England, as part of the Together Fund. The Together Fund in Lincolnshire is designed to help reduce the negative impact of coronavirus and support organisations to grow, enabling more people to be active. We are supporting organisations with these grants who are working with residents from lower-socio economic groups, people from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions with up to £5,000 to support projects

The five first projects that have been awarded funding are:

Lincoln Basketball CIC have been awarded £4,810 to organise a series of All Nation 3 x 3 basketball events in Lincoln to engage with a range of different groups in wider community. They aim to increase levels of community cohesion using the common ground created through playing basketball as a platform on which to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the diverse communities within Lincoln. The project includes skills development and training to support the sustained growth of this programme beyond the initial funding.

Virginia House, a daytime service for people with learning disabilities in Louth have been awarded £1,195 to increase the physical activity opportunities available to their service users, increasing their access to the benefits of physical activity. The activity will take place at Meridian Leisure Centre and provide services users and their carers an opportunity to confidently use public leisure facilities.

Hartsholme Cricket Club has been awarded £3,760 to bring cricket back to local schools. The investment will provide 6 hours of coaching per week for 6-months, supporting boys and girls from 5 to 16 years old to access age suitable activities, experience club cricket as a regular opportunity to be active.

Chance 2 Meet Lincolnshire provided by BID services, support children and young people in Lincolnshire with sensory impairments to come together, with their families and engage in accessible, inclusive activities that create quality family time and strengthen their inter and intra family relationships creating a supportive network. The Together Fund investment of £2,531 will enable BID to build a physical activity offer into their existing programme.

Bourne Rugby Club have been awarded £4,500 of funding to ensure their rapidly growing club have the workforce needed to meet the demand from local young people. Investment is being spent on supporting coaches to gain qualifications and on ensuring that new participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds have access to a kit library, so they can borrow what they need before buying their own kit once they know they want to keep playing.

Funding is still available, you can access more information about the fund and how to apply here.