NHS funding grant to support physical activity opportunities on Lewis

Supporting a local organisation to promote and provide high quality physical activity opportunities for children and adults on Lewis was the objective of a recent NHS funding grant to Stornoway United football club.  

NHS Western Isles provided £10,000 to the club, which is used by around 150 people on Lewis, to enable them to purchase and install a storage container, to allow all the voluntary coaches to access suitable equipment for each age group at the site of the club’s training.  

Stornoway United is a voluntary football club providing the opportunity for Under-7s to Under-18s and seniors to play and take part in physical activity through the sport of football. As a community club, Stornoway United offers those in the Stornoway area the opportunity to come along and enjoy the sport of football, either as a participant, a volunteer coach or committee member.   

Unintended benefits of the grant have included enabling the group to establish extremely popular training sessions for four-year-olds still in nursery, and also to support the provision of a football kit swap service, so that unused kit and be donated and re-used.  

Stornoway United Chairman, Iain Morrison, said: “The club uses the correct equipment that is specific and suitable for all the different age groups. This will allow the participants to develop the skills that are required to ensure that the sport of football is not just for now, but a life skill that will encourage a healthier lifestyle and promote physical activity for life.   

“The club invested significantly in suitable sports equipment (footballs, bibs, cones and coaching spots) and games kits. The aim of the grant was to provide a storage container for all the new sports equipment and kit at the site of our coaching facility at the all-weather pitch in Stornoway. The project also required works to clear and prepare the selected area to situate the container. The container is lined and shelved to ensure the sports equipment and games kit is kept in a safe storage space for the benefit of our club members.”  

Iain added: “Having the new container has been fantastic for our training. Not only can we keep the kit dry, rather than sitting out in the rain, but it also means that we can set up multiple drills for all our age groups (U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U18 and Seniors – over 120 children and young people plus 30 adults). Also, with us having the storage container at pitch side, it allows the young people themselves to assist in clearing away, helping them feel responsible and included within their sessions.”  

One of the Stornoway United coaches commented: “Having the container on site to store our equipment makes the training sessions fun for the kids and allows the coaches to mix up the warm-ups and drills to keep them interested.”  

Another coach added: “Thanks to this funding having our equipment stored on site not only keeps it safe but also allows volunteers to use more equipment and set up quickly.”  

The new container has allowed Stornoway United to establish a kit / football boot swap for parents and children to make use of. This allows people to donate kit / football boots that they no longer need and for others to access the container to make use of the donations.   

Iain said: “We have found this to be very popular already and a great way of recycling kit. We would like to thank the NHS again for supporting us to further develop our club and provide opportunities for the children and young people in the Stornoway area.”  

NHS Western Isles Director of Finance and Procurement, Debbie Bozkurt, said: “NHS Western Isles was delighted to be able to support a club that provides such valuable sporting opportunities for such a wide age group. Community groups such as Stornoway United are at the heart of communities, not only encouraging physical activity, but also providing a safe, healthy and enjoyable pastime for children and young people, and the opportunity to socialise with those who share interests.”