Gwinear Churchtown (2)

Club receives new boiler through Cornwall FA Grant Scheme

Over the past few months Cornwall FA has been supporting our smaller clubs with some important finances to ensure they are able to affiliate, run correctly and maintain their facilities. As part of the work we do we had decided to create a new scheme, led by key board members and development staff which would allow our small clubs to apply for funding with as little administration as possible. It is often these small clubs that do not have the opportunity to apply for this kind of funding nationally and so our support was vital to help keep them running another season. 


One of the clubs we have helped is Gwinear Churchtown, last season their boiler stopped working causing numerous problems. The team along with their visitors and match officials were often showering in cold water (or not showering at all). Naturally this had a negative effect including comments from the visiting clubs which eventually led to some players wanting to leave. Roland Thomas, Club Chairman and Secretary contacted his league to find out the process of folding the club. The Trelawny League was aware of our funding scheme and put him in touch with us. After some support from County FA staff and completing a couple of forms we were able to award the club £500 which was used towards a new boiler. 


On Saturday 25th September, CCFA Council Member, Dave James visited the club to see their new boiler and present the cheque. He spoke their manager, Damo Walters who said;
"Roland was first made aware of the scheme by the league; he then contacted the Cornwall FA and spoke to Dan Greenough about the situation. Dan then sent a couple of forms to Roland for completion. Shortly after, we were awarded a £500 grant which went towards a new boiler for the showers. This has had a massive impact on us being able to attract players and offer showering facilities to the visiting teams and referee.
I’d like to thank the Cornwall FA, Particularly Dan, Josh and Grace and the Trelawny League on behalf of everyone at Gwinear Churchtown F.C. for their help to ensure that the village football team continued to exist. For small clubs like ours where the players have to pay to play and where we have next to nothing in the bank, these small grants are so important to clubs like ours. Without them and the support of the League and County, we would have become another Club that used to play football here in Cornwall.
Our grassroots clubs often think that there is no money available to help them – this couldn't be further from the truth. Cornwall FA are now investing quite significantly to retain our clubs and players with small grants like this. For more information on the grants available, please use the link below”.


Dave James, Cornwall FA Council Member had the following to say about the grant: "It gave me great pleasure to award Gwinear Churchtown with this cheque which has almost certainly helped the club to survive. Last season, the Small Grants Panel issued 32 awards for our clubs to help them sustain and improve their clubs. I am hopeful that we will match or even beat that tally this season.
These awards are to help clubs obtain much needed repairs or new equipment. Grants cover things like line markers, lawn mowers, new goal nets, storage and changing room containers, training lights and even pitch improvement visits by a grounds specialist to advise on any pitch issues which the clubs face. Gwinear have been a long-standing Club in the community and I am delighted that this small contribution has helped them to survive".


To find out more information on the grants, please visit the Cornwall FA page.Grants and Funding


Gwinear Churchtown (1)

Gwinear Churchtown (3)