Sport and physical activity in Mayo has received a welcome boost, with €147,000 being allocated to Mayo through the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The allocation is part of a total investment package of €7.3m in Dormant Accounts Funding announced by Sport Ireland for a wide range of sport and physical activity measures countrywide.
Sport Ireland’s investment aims to engage with communities across the country, focusing on people with disabilities, people who are educationally disadvantaged and from disadvantaged communities.
Included in the allocation to Mayo is the Lough Lannagh Outdoor Sports Hub, Ballinrobe Sports Hub, Ballina Urban Adventure Initiative, Disability Sports Equipment, Volunteer Training Supports and Youth Leadership Training.
The extension of the Urban Adventure Initiative to Ballina was one of the standout projects from this round of funding.
Chairman of Mayo Sports Partnership, Cllr Michael Loftus, commented: "Covid-19 has impacted on sport as much as any other part of society.
"I am delighted to see both the Lough Lannagh and Ballina Urban Adventure initiatives supported in this recent round of Dormant Account funding.
"There has been massive uptake in outdoor sports in recent months and these projects will help to build on this trend even further. I would like to thank Sport Ireland in particular for their ongoing support."
As with previous funding announced, the investment is closely aligned with the National Sports Policy and the National Physical Activity Plan.
A particular emphasis is placed on implementing programmes to promote physical activity, making sport and physical activity accessible to people with a disability and the development of programmes to address transitions and drop-out from physical activity.
Charlie Lambert, Coordinator of Mayo Local Sports Partnership said: "We plan to assist communities and in particular, disadvantaged groups of the population, in providing increased opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity.
"Projects such as Lough Lannagh Castlebar and Ballina Urban Adventure initiatives will help to make outdoor adventure sport more accessible to all sectors of our population in Mayo."
