£50,000 Facelift at Bolton SC 

A plan to encourage more women into the sport of sailing around the area has been boosted by a £50,000 grant to Bolton Sailing Club from Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund.

"We are absolutely delighted," said the Commodore of Bolton SC Warren Price. "It means a lot for the future of the club, particularly helping attract more women into the sport and improving facilities for the disability groups who use the building".

The money will be used for a range of improvements to the building, mainly improving insulation, but a considerable amount will completely refurbish the ladies changing rooms which currently have no natural light and are cramped.

The size of the ladies area will be increase by 20% and natural light introduced by the installation of 'light pipes'.The doorway will also be adapted for wheelchair access.

Bolton Sailing Club's building is almost half a century old and was built when materials were more basic. The windows will now be upgraded, and cladding improved to retain more heat as it has remained chilly in winter despite big heating bills.

A lot of work went into preparing the grant application, according to Warren Price: "I want to thank everyone on the team who put so much effort into preparing the plans." He also appreciated all the support from the RYA North West Region.Some of the endorsements of the Bolton plan came from schools who work with the club via the RYA OnBoard programme which encourages youngsters to go sailing through schools, youth groups and clubs,  and Sailability which opens the sport to people with disabilities. 

Sport England’s programme to deliver a London 2012 legacy of increased mass participation in sport, Inspired Facilities is investing £50 million of National Lottery funding in up to 1000 community sports projects between 2011 and 2014. This is the only NW sailing club to be selected in round five.

Anyone wanting to try their hand at sailing or powerboating can take advantage of the club's participation in the RYA Push The Boat Out Day on 17 May.Bolton Sailing Club can be contacted through their website: http://sail.org.uk or people interested in sailing can call at the club on Friday evening or Sunday afternoon.