Bury Rugby Club Secures £50,000 funding from Olympic Legacy Fund

Bury Rugby Club have secured an Olympic Legacy  funding boost which will help them inspire the next generation of rugby stars.

The Radcliffe Road club has been awarded a total of £49,134 from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, money put aside for clubs to preserve the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The money will be used to install more floodlighting around the club’s training area, construct pitch side barriers, increase the number of showers in the changing rooms and refurbish the clubhouse area.

Councillor Mike Connolly   Leader of Bury Council said, “I congratulate Bury Rugby Club on the news that they have been awarded a Sport England grant. The club have throughout their long history provided facilities that have been enjoyed by Bury residents. For their work with young people to be deservedly recognised and supported financially by a national body is a great boost for them and the borough as a whole.”

Chairman Gary Chester said the funding was a huge boost to Bury RFC, and would enable the ambitious club to offer the best facilities possible to Bury and its surrounding areas.

He said: “We are delighted to receive this Olympic Legacy Fund investment which means we can upgrade our facilities. We have one of the fastest growing junior sections in Lancashire and it is important that we can provide top quality facilities that meet people’s expectations and fulfil our own aspirations.”

The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £100 million ‘Places, People, Play’ legacy programme that is bringing the magic of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives the funding will carry the London 2012 “Inspire“mark – celebrating the club’s link to the games.

It means more and more people can benefit from the feel-good factor brought to Britain by the games, and Sport England chairman Richard Lewis is delighted to see Bury Rugby Club benefit from the fund.

The funding has also been well received by the North West’s premier rugby side Sale Sharks, who work in close partnership with clubs like Bury.

The Sharks’ Head Coach Bryan Redpath said: “Sale Sharks are delighted to congratulate Bury RUFC on this fantastic award from Sport England.

“Bury RUFC have been supporters of Sale Sharks for many years and are part of our Community Connections Partnership.  We know how tirelessly they work on building their mini and junior section, and it really is great to see an amateur club, such as Bury be rewarded for their efforts.

“Many grassroots clubs rely solely on the goodwill of volunteers, and apart from annual subscriptions from their membership, have to beg and borrow to bring their facilities up to scratch. 

“Additionally, Burys’ club ethos to engage children and young people in sport, very much matches with those of the Sharks Community Trust, and we wholly endorse their commitment to providing facilities for the playing of rugby and belonging to a local club.

“I am sure that the award will be warmly received and put to good use.”

People, Places, Play is being delivered by Sport England, working in partnership with the British Olympic Association (BOA), the British Paralympic Association (BPA) with the backing of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the London 2012 Inspire Mark.