THE CHAIRMAN of a football club in Malvern has expressed his delight after members of Malvern Town Council accepted his request for funding for essential maintenance equipment.
Members of the town council’s policy and resources committee unanimously approved Newtown Sports Football Club’s grant application of £1,028.92 to help buy a line marker and pay towards tools for lawn cutting, hedge trimming and building maintenance at a meeting on Wednesday (November 27).
The decision comes just a matter of weeks after the application angered some members of the council who had not forgotten a previous dispute with the club over the rights to the Greenhill Drive land at a full council meeting.
But there was no such controversy from the members of the policy and resources committee after club chairman Rob Eyles presented his case at the start of the meeting.
Mr Eyles said the club wanted the very best for the children and parents in Malvern and being granted funding would help give the children a safe and secure space to which they could enjoy their football and develop their skills.
Coun Clive Smith said: “I think this is a positive move and should be supported.”
The total investment is around £2,060 but the Greenhill Drive based club committed to paying half of the full costs with the rest coming from the grant application.
In a statement issued after Wednesday’s meeting Mr Eyles said: “Newtown Sports Junior Football Club is delighted and grateful to Malvern Town Council for allowing us the opportunity to present our case in person and for the subsequent award of the grant.
“Like all volunteer clubs we rely on such grants, and this will allow the club to purchase much needed maintenance equipment that will help us provide, not only for the children within our club, but also the wider community, safer use of the environment at Greenhill Drive.”
