Gymnastics, football and samba among Gosport projects backed by council cash boost

The meeting of the council’s grants sub-board at the end of September handed out £25,641.49 to organisations across Gosport.

It pledged funds to a wide range of organisations that applied for cash from Lee Rangers Football Club, being awarded £2,000 to be able to train five children and three adults as referees to the Big Noise Community Samba Band receiving £3,350 to fund new uniforms.

Twelve organisations made community grant funding applications asking for a total of £37, 203.29 but only ten were successful. The organisation representatives each went before the board to plead their case.

Leader of the council and chair of the grants sub-board, Councillor Peter Chegwyn (Lib Dem, Forton) said: “They are all good projects for Gosport, and we are delighted to support them.”

He added: “They enrich the cultural life of the town and have great public support.”

One beneficiary, Suki Gymnastics which teaches children as young as four years old received £2,348.

The club was founded by Su Killeen in 2004 with Natalie Dickinson working as head coach.

Su Killen said: “The council’s support is amazing, as we have not been very successful with getting grants before.

“Their amazing support helps us keep growing and keep surviving in Gosport.”

Mrs Killeen said the club has been using a second hand springboarded floor that it bought 15 years ago and is past its prime.

The cost of the new floor is £22,950 and to keep cost down will be fitted by the club.

The club fundraised nearly £15,602 and with the help of a previous grant of £5,000 has now reached its target to buy the much-needed floor.

She said the floor is used for training at 25 Wingate Road and is also moved to Fareham Leisure Centre for The Southern Region Competitions. It is needed because the club has a lot of successful, competitive gymnasts.

She said everyone is “super excited” as the floor will be arriving on December 22 and her next challenge is to organise enough manpower to set up the floor, ready for being used in the new year.

At the previous grants sub-board council meeting, councillors were excited to back the project and put Gosport on the map in the gymnastics world by helping to provide high standard of sports facilities for residents.

Other grants were awarded to: Tribe Alternative Stage School for £2,400, PCC St.Mary’s, St.Faith and St.Francis Alverstoke for £3,500, Heron United for £1,620, Crescent Gardens for £4,000, 22Midnight for £3,00, Gosport Borough Cricket Club for £2,823.50, and £599.99 to be paid to Friends of Leesland Park. For more information about the club go to www.sukiagc.co.uk.