WIREDGOV

Sport England is yesterday announced a special £5 million flood relief fund to help recover pitches and repair sports facilities damaged by the recent floods and storms. 

£5 million of National Lottery funding will be made available to sports clubs, local authorities and other community organisations for emergency repairs to damaged facilities such as football, rugby and cricket pitches, water sports centres, pavilions, changing rooms and floodlights.

Organisations that think they may need help to restore sports facilities are being asked to provide details about the extent of the damage at www.sportengland.org/floodfund. Sport England will then advise whether they are eligible for funding and how to apply.

Those needing funding to clean up and get up and running quickly can request up to £2,000 of emergency funding which could be awarded within three weeks. This would cover minor works such as skip hire to remove sediment and rubbish, minor electrical works to restore power or cleaning work to get showers and changing rooms back up and running.

Those with more extensive damage which will take longer to repair will be invited to apply to the Fund when it opens on 24 March. Organisations that do not qualify for the Fund will be given advice about other sources of funding that could help.

The fund will remain open until the autumn to ensure that those who are currently unable to assess the damage will not lose out.

To register your organisation’s interest, click here