Free CnES sports facility hire for Sports Council affiliated clubs and groups

05 July 2022 at 10:04:33

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is pleased to announce a new initiative, supported by Crown Estate funding.

From Thursday 1st September, all constituted clubs and groups affiliated to the Lewis and & Harris and Uist and & Barra Sports Councils will be able to book Comhairle sports facilities at no cost.

The project will mean that hard earned fundraising will be retained by clubs and groups who can utilise this for the purchase of new equipment, developing their coaches, mainland trips for their members etc.

Tony Wade, Sports Facilities Services Manager, said: "We are delighted that Comhairle Members have backed this project and we are certain it will be a major boost to voluntary clubs and groups right across the Outer Hebrides. Through the pandemic these organisations have been critical in maintaining physical activity levels in our community and ensuring young people retained social interactions critical to their mental and physical well being."

Iain GG Campbell, Sports Development Services Manager, added: "This scheme, supported by both our local Sports Councils, will also ensure that clubs and groups taking advantage of the scheme will have good governance in place ensuring that well run and operated clubs are operating to best practice principles. The scheme will be continually reviewed as it is rolled out and hopefully it can become a permanent feature benefiting local sport and physical activity levels more generally, subject to available funding."

More information on the roll out of the scheme and the detail of how it will operate will follow in due course. In the meantime, clubs and groups are welcome to contact the Community Sports Hub Officers, Euan Macleod (Lewis and Harris) euan-macleod@cne-siar.gov.uk  or Kevin Morrison (Uist and Barra) kevin.morrison@cne-siar.gov.uk  or Community Sports Development Officer, Steven Munro (Lewis and Harris) smunro@cne-siar.gov.uk. These officers will be delighted to advise clubs and groups on the process of Sports Council affiliation etc.