The Sports Council for Wales has rallied behind a new squash club for young people in Denbighshire, serving up National Lottery funding for coaching and equipment.

A £1,000 Community Chest grant will help St Asaph Junior Squash Club to send a coach on a Level Two coaching course, three others on first aid training and to purchase new equipment.

The Squash Wales affiliated club, which trains at St Asaph Leisure Centre, currently coaches four girls aged 8-11 and four boys aged 9-15 during weekly 40 minute sessions. They hope that with the boosted coaching standards that they can double their membership and introduce another training session, with the ultimate goal of feeding players into local squash teams in the St Asaph area.

Coach, Arthur Jones said, "I and my friends are doing this because we love the sport. There is nothing better than to teach and see the development in young people’s skills over a period of time and to involve young people in physical activity."

Since the inception of the Sports Council for Wales’ Community Chest scheme in 1999, communities across the length and breadth of Wales have been investing heavily in sports and physical activity projects.

Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling, said:

"Community Chest has been and continues to be a huge success and is very popular throughout Denbighshire. The increase in funding and the greater scope of the scheme will increase its effectiveness.

"Panels based in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales hold the purse strings and have delegated authority to award grants to worthwhile projects. We want to hear of bright ideas and projects that will get more people in Denbighshire more active, more often."

As a result of the popularity and undoubted success of the scheme, the Sports Council for Wales is raising the level of grant. Organisations keen to develop sport and physical activity in Wales can now receive up to £1000 for a qualifying project over a 12 month period.

The scope of the scheme has also been widened. Grants have traditionally been awarded to sports clubs and sporting bodies. Now most organisations seeking to develop physical activity and sporting projects will be eligible for an award.

The Community Chest has recently been infiltrating additional areas of work such as the voluntary sector (e.g. Voluntary Youth Clubs, Women’s Institute) and the workplace, as well as continuing to support projects in the health and education arenas. So while funding the local football club might get the younger members of the community moving, backing a walking group will encourage more adults to get active.

To remove the obstacles and to get your project going, call your Sports Council for Wales regional office:

North Wales: 0845 045 0908