2:40pm Monday 6th July 2009
FIFTEEN leading Herefordshire athletes can soon secure free gym membership for a year.
The free annual Halo Leisure membership is part of the Free Access for National Sports People (FANS) scheme.
Applicants can be of any age and must be competing at national level or have performed on that platform in the last 12 months.
People will also need to show evidence of National Governing Body (NGB) eligibility.
Herefordshire Sports Aspire director Penny Southwood revealed the initiative last week.
Halo are running the scheme in partnership with Herefordshire Sport and the Herefordshire Sports Aspire project.
“With the recent success of British athletes in Beijing at the Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as the launch of the Herefordshire Sports Aspire project, the timing is great to launch such a scheme,” said Southwood.
She also outlined the plans at the annual general meeting of Herefordshire Sport.
Southwood was appointed as the Herefordshire Sports Aspire officer last year. The Sports Aspire programme offers support and help to Herefordshire’s elite sportsmen and women.
She also works for Halo as the community partnerships manager.
Application forms for the FANS scheme can be downloaded from July 1 from the Halo website (www.haloleisure.org.uk) and must be submitted by July 31.
Herefordshire Sport, meanwhile, used their annual meeting as an opportunity to showcase a host of sports. Demonstrations were given on Futsal, blind football, tchoukball, netball, table-tennis, short mat bowls and acoustic shooting.
Herefordshire Sport is the voice of community sport in the county and can provide important information to sports clubs and organisations.
The organisation can give advice about facilities, funding, young players, coaching, disability provision and volunteers.
Herefordshire Sport’s officers elected for 2009/10 were: president, Clive Richards OBE; vice-president, Ian Dinnie; chairman, Tony Larkin; vice-chairman, Steve Mumford; honorary secretary, Bryan White; honorary treasurer, Gill Webb.
More details on Herefordshire Sport from honorary secretary Bryan White on 01432 356757.
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