Sports Capital Grant

FLAG

Hi Folks

This years sports capital grants have been announced:

http://www.dast.gov.ie/grants_funding/default.htm#grants1

Closing date is the 24th November 2006.

What better reason for applying for a grant other than to bring range facilities to the standard required by the new legislation.

With it reasonable to expect that the legislation will require shooting ranges to provide a minimum standard to that of JSP, why not contact the experts in the area and have an assessment done of your range, construction plans with associated costs can be submitted to the Department of Sport ad would be eligible under the 2006 Capital Grant Scheme, if you are not in you can't win!

DTSC Pistol Shooting Range has just been passed by the Gardai as being up to JSP standard, the construction was planned by a company called: MTW Partnership, Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers phone number 018463505 e-mail: tom@mtw.ie, the contact is Tom Markham and they have many years of range construction experience having worked with the Irish Army.

If you are contemplating range work and you do not get professional advice, yo should just throw the money straight into the bin, ranges that are constructed only to minimum standards will be acceptable when the legislation is enacted.

Hopefully there will be a great turnout for the SSAI meeting in Abbeyleix on Wednesday 18th October, we should have specific word on the restricted firearms listing and we will brief the meeting on this and other matters related to the legislation. See you there!

Sparks

The offical Department of Sport page relating to the Sports Capital Grant scheme 2007 is here: the guidelines for this year's grant programme is here; and the application form can be downloaded in PDF format or in Word format.

Remember, in previous years both Courtlough and Rathdrum clubs have received substantial amounts of money from this scheme, so we're by no means barred from it, and don't forget that it does not just apply to building ranges; it also covers any non-personal sports equipment that is securely stored and used for at least five years - which pretty much covers every piece of club gear we use in this sport apart from bullets and paper targets. Club rifles, jackets, scopes, mats, target changers, computer scoring machines, equipment control gauges, everything can be applied for. Now in most cases, you won't get a 100% grant. If it's a local club, you must raise at least 30% of the money. But this grant will provide the rest (Obviously, if you raise more than 30%, your odds of winning the grant rise). And you *must* have the money by the time you apply, which means between now and November 24...

rrpc

A propos of Declan's post please remember that you need three tenders/quotations for any work to be done.

It's also advisable to have the support of a TD or Minister in order for your application to be successful.

The Grant scheme has been brought forward almost two months from previous years. No prizes for guessing why.

Sparks

No prizes for guessing why.

Such cynicism!