A Greater Manchester kids football club, which is run by four generations of one family, is set to receive a £5,000 grant as part of a campaign to help fund community projects by the OneFamily Foundation.
OneFamily customer, Freda Jackson – a volunteer at Reddish Villa Junior Football Club – put the club forward for the award as her grandson Gareth Curley is the club secretary and project leader.
Gareth’s sister Amy is training to be a coach and his nine-year-old son, Joseph, and three-year-old, son Leo Sutton, play at the club.
Freda said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that the people of Reddish voted for their junior football club to receive the funding from the Foundation.
“We can do so much good with the money, so many of the children will really benefit.”
The club, which is situated in an area designated as economically deprived, is open to children and young adults from three to 18-years-old.
The foundation’s award will benefit more than 250 children as it is being used to fund the club’s soccer school, which caters for the youngest players aged between three and six-years-old.
The money will also be used to hire a hall over the winter months so that the youngest players can keep playing while sheltered from the worst of the weather.
And some cash will be put towards buying new training equipment including footballs, cones and ladders.
In order to keep costs low for the families involved Reddish Villa JFC only charge for one child per family.
Freda said: “We are so grateful that we’ve been awarded this money. The club is run on a voluntary basis and we don’t always have the funds to invest in the kind of equipment and facilities we’d like.”
“The award will make such a difference to everyone at the club, not only giving the younger players a safer place to practice over the winter months but also making sure all of the player receive the highest standard of coaching possible.
“We really can’t thank OneFamily, and everyone who voted for us, enough.”
The OneFamily Foundation is a customer benefit fund, provided by mutual organisation which has committed to make £5million available to its members in the next five years to make communities better.
Customer Engagement Manager James Hale said: “We’re absolutely delighted to know that we have played our part in improving facilities and opportunities for local young people and hope that the club will continue for many years to come.”
For more information on The OneFamily Foundation click here.
