LSA AGM 2012 – CHAIR’S REPORT – FINAL

G and A GRANTS AWARDED IN 2011 – 12 with Details

LSA YOUTH SUPPORT FUND Grants paid 2011-2012

Lochaber Sports Association Accounts 2012

May we draw the attention of all Members (our affiliated clubs) to the Accounts.  You are invited to submit any queries about them to our Secretary, Duncan MacPhee, within 21 days of their posting, today being 17th May 2012.  In order to avoid spam, please use the Contact page (unless you are privileged enough to know his email address!)

• Boys Golf (hosted by Wigtownshire Sports Council) – Friday 20^th July
• Ladies Golf (hosted by Hamilton Sports Council) – Monday 30^th July
• Junior Bowls (hosted by Cambuslang & Rutherglen Sports Council) – Sunday 12^th August
• Gents Bowls (hosted by Roxburgh Sports Council) – Friday 17^th August
• Ladies Bowls (hosted by Dunfermline & West Fife Sports Council) – Wednesday 5^th September

The entry forms for all the events are now available and teams can register in 3 ways:

1)      Completing the online form found on the SALSC website

2)      Downloading the form, completing it electronically and emailing it to the named contact using the email address on the entry form

3)      Downloading the form, completing it by hand and posting it to the named contact using the postal address on the entry form

The forms can be accessed from the SALSC website by visiting the Member Services section. From here the forms can be accessed from either the ‘Events’ page or ‘Forms’ page.

HIGHLAND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES – COACHING

HIGHLAND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES – added information

Please pass it around your contacts and clubs for their information and dissemination.

Contact: Elissa Steven  Sports Coaching Administrator  High Life Highland  Queens Park Office  By Inverness Leisure  Bught Lane  Inverness  IV3 5SS

T: 01463 718009  Or Contact Elissa Steven through the LSA contact page

The Duncraig Educational Trust Scheme can offer financial assistance to young Highland people who can meet the essential criteria for the scheme.  These are:-

• For young people with an exceptional or unique talent
• And who are between the ages of 16 – 25
• And, who either attend or attended secondary school in the Highland Council area or whose parents or grandparents attended a Highland secondary school for a minimum of two years.

What can I apply for?

If you meet the essential criteria, you can apply for an award of up to a  maximum of £1,000 to help you with the costs of:-

• Participating in sporting events at national or international level
• Obtaining specialist sports coaching, training or equipment to allow you to compete at national or international level
• Attending a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and  environment
• Purchasing specialist equipment to allow you to follow a specialist course of study in arts, language and heritage, science and environment

Who can apply?

The funds are almost exclusively for pupils and former pupils of secondary schools in the Highland Council area.

Each year, however, up to 5% of the funds can potentially be allocated to young people of “Highland descent” who meet the essential criteria of the scheme.  This means that at least one of your parents or parents or grandparents attended secondary school in the Highland Council area for a minimum of two years.

For more information and how to apply please click on this link: http://www.highland.gov.uk/learninghere/grantsandallowances/trust.htm

PLEASE VOTE!

Although we now have great facilities within our schools, and one of the best natural environments for sport, our pitch-using clubs are suffering really badly – in fact, they are at CRISIS point.

There are two vital facilities projects currently being developed, one an indoor training facility (an LSA project), the other an outdoor 3G artificial pitch (a councillors/Highlife project).  We need to work together with the councillors, each group in support of the other, to ensure any chance of success in our funding applications.

Additionally, we need to work together to develop a sustainable pitch maintenance programme, otherwise all the up-grading work that is currently being done will be money – not rain – down the drain.

If we do not address these issues as a matter of urgency, our pitch-using clubs will struggle to survive, even disappear.  Without our clubs, we will lose vital centres of the community – where folk of all ages come to keep fit, have fun, socialise, join together with a common cause (fund-raising, competitions etc.), look out for each other and give our youngsters something very positive to do.

In the current economic climate, and with our seemingly increasingly long, dark, cold and wet winters, the mental health of large sectors of our community has become very fragile.  Youngsters are drinking and taking drugs more than ever, and younger than ever before.  It has become a crippling part of their culture, with a perception that there is nothing better to do or aspire to.  We will have to work really hard to encourage them into sport and clubs, but we feel that this will only be possible if we have the proper facilities, so that club committees can dedicate their limited time to recruitment programmes, instead of constantly dealing with  maintenance and funding issues, postponed or cancelled games, the weekly search for somewhere to train – all so negative and draining of morale, and not at all attractive to potential new members.

These are the issues that we, Lochaber Sports Association, feel must be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency, and we know we cannot succeed on our own. It is a vast “project” that will have to be tackled by clubs, schools, our councillors and council officials, politicians, community groups and LSA all working together, drawing on the skills and resources available in each sector.

PLEASE VOTE FOR THE COUNCILLORS YOU FEEL WILL UNDERSTAND THESE ISSUES AND WILL SUPPORT ALL OF US IN MAKING LOCHABER A HEALTHY AND MOTIVATED PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK!

…well, I’m afraid we have no choice, but to hang on a bit longer for a decision from LEADER…they’re currently wading through over 40 applications totalling about £3m, with only £1m in the pot.  D(ecision)-Day won’t now be until sometime next week…

Meanwhile, we haven’t been idle.

Last week we had a very positive meeting with Andy Macleod (Highlife, in charge of pitches) and discussed possible NEW ways of tackling the pitch maintenance issues FROM SCRATCH…we all agreed we had to forget fire-fighting and develop a sustainable pitch maintenance programme for all the clubs. Andy is now away to discuss the seeds of these ideas with John MacDonald (ECS) and before they grow too big, there will no doubt be further consultation with all involved.  Everyone fully understands the urgency of the situation, so we all have to work together so we can put a strong case forward for the required funding…and we will have a much stronger case working together, being prepared to share resources, than each fighting our own corner.

Yesterday, we met with Darren Reid, the new Community Sports Hub Officer for Highland (a Highlife post funded by sportscotland.  Four communities in Highland have been selected to be developed as hubs and we are one of them.  Darren will be supporting us to ensure that we develop the concept of a Community Sports Hub, working with the clubs, schools and community.

The event is taking place at Findhorn Marina on 12^th and 13^th May.  For details please contact Simon Patterson at Findhorn on 01309 609099.

http://www.children1st.org.uk/services/133/newsletters

JD&PD FT ASC, Glenurquhart High School, Apr 12

JD&PS PT ASC, Charleston, Apr 12

JD&PS PT ASC, Drummond, Apr 12

JD&PS PT ASC, Fortrose, Apr 12

JD&PS PT Disability Sports Dev Officer, Apr 12