innovative Youth Grant Scheme
Youth fishing projects which are eligible
for funding from the €40,000 EFTTA Youth Grant Scheme, have until
October 1 to send in completed application forms.
Introducing people to sportfishing is one of the European Fishing
Tackle Trade Association’s main priorities – and supporting local
projects in the association’s member countries is one of the best ways
to recruit new anglers to the sport.
Under the
Youth Grant Scheme, EFTTA and its members join forces to contribute to
youth angling projects throughout Europe. Members offer their own
financial support to projects and EFTTA boosts contributions up to a
total of €40,000, making a total in excess of €80,000 euros available.
Before applying for a grant from
EFTTA, all applicants must find a corporate sponsor from one of EFTTA’s
members. If successful, EFTTA will match the sponsorship from each
member up to a maximum of €2,000 per project.
South Cumbria Kingfishers – which increases participation in
angling by disadvantaged and disabled youngsters – is just one project
supported under the Youth Grant Scheme.
Neil
Birkinshaw, of South Cumbria Kingfishers, said: “We are more or less
nearing the end of the first year of our project with only a barbecue
and a couple of competitions still to be held.
“To date South Cumbria Kingfishers has run 52 separate
events over the year for some 800 youngsters. As a direct result of the
project junior membership of our angling club (Windermere, Ambleside
and District AA) has increased from 18 members to 117 with similar
increases amongst other participating clubs.
“Next year the project aims to expand and we will be developing
two new fisheries as specific coaching waters, one game, one
coarse.”
EFTTA members who sponsor schemes are
also responsible for administering the spending of the EFTTA grant on
the particular project. They can either purchase fishing tackle
products on the applicant’s behalf or award a cash grant if more
appropriate.
Organisations who wish to secure
Youth Grant Scheme funding must submit:
– a completed
application form
– details of
sponsoring EFTTA member, including amount of sponsorship received
– additional
material that can support an application (leaflets, brochures,
references etc)
Application forms are
downloadable from the EFTTA website at www.eftta.com or through the
EFTTA secretariat at EFTTA Ltd, 71-73 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NJ,
UK. Contact Jonathan Leith at jonathanleith@eftta.com
for more information.
