Sport and physical activity gets a boost
Funding of €27,720 has been announced by Age & Opportunity to support sport and physical activity among older people for 96 groups in Cork.
The funding forms part €300,000 in national grants under the Age & Opportunity Active National Grant Scheme, which is funded by Sport Ireland.
It will be used to assist more than 1,000 clubs nationwide.
Cork recipients of the funding include the Cork Deaf Association, Marymount Hospital and Hospice, and Family Carers Ireland Cork.
Funding will support the rollout of activities such as pickleball, dancing, walking, cycling, table tennis, walking football, and yoga.
Organisations will be able to use the funding to buy equipment and host active initiatives and events for older people.
Sue Gildea, Active Programme Manager at Age & Opportunity said the response to the scheme has been incredible.
“Older age should be a time of opportunity and through this grant scheme, older people have improved access to recreational sport and targeted opportunities to engage in physical activity,” she said.
A third of funding is going to disadvantaged areas, while 60% is funding physical activity and sport in active retirement and other older adult groups.Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said the funding allocations endure that people of all ages “are valued in sport”.
“It is important that we have a diverse sporting landscape and increasing participation among older people is a key driver in making that happen,” she said.
More than 20,000 grants to the tune of almost €8.5 million have been granted nationwide since the grant’s inception in 2001. Every year, according to Age & Opportunity, around 34,000 older people take part in physical activity funded through the scheme.
Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport Charlie McConalogue TD also welcomed the announcement.
“We know that participation levels among this cohort continues to increase so we need to ensure that we are catering for people of all ages,” he said.