Money, money money! All climbers need money. But where can they get it from? Does anybody know? Well Caroline Byrne does. Her son Connor has just received an award from his local County Council.

Connor Byrne climbs a lot. He's climbing better all the time.  He's now on the GB Junior Climbing Team.  All this costs money.

So what can a parent do? 

This is what Connor's mum, Caroline, did and she hopes this information will be of use to other parents.

Caroline Byrne's story
As parents, the need to find funding is ever present in our minds, be it for the team as a whole or for the individuals.

Following a tip off from a friend I followed a lead and decided to look on our Local County Council website.

After jumping through a few written hoops and a bit of waiting Connor eventually received his award and a cheque at a ceremony at County Hall in Preston.

So what did I do? 

I simply went on our Local County Council website determined to search the site and find out what might be available. 

First, I found Sports then sports development this led me to grants then funding and then finally, at the very end of the search it led me to: Performers (apparently, they come after coaches/volunteers and building projects where we live).

Obviously, every council will be different but rummage around, and I would urge you to do this, as you may find a choice of different pots of money to apply for - and there's no harm in applying. The worse that can happen is that they say no. 

Additionally, sometimes success in applying to a local pot may lead to the application heading to a regional level (and that may even mean a bit more money).

Here's another hint.  Initially, I was put off slightly as 'climbing' wasn't listed as an approved sport. However, after a bit of enquiry I found that applying under the 'mountaineering' part was acceptable as "mountaineering" is sometimes used as an umbrella term for activities such as climbing, bouldering, as well as hill walking and mountain climbing.

For those who hate filling in forms, I would say that the forms that had to be filled in were a little time consuming but not really too difficult and the results can be well worth it.

I was also surprised that my Local County Council organise these awards and events as much of the money actually seems to come from private sources. 

So, to conclude, I would urge you all to do a bit of research. Have a determined look around on the Local Authority and Local Council websites in your region to find out what might be available and what you can apply for.  And then just have a go. Put an application in. It's really as simple as that.  

By
 

Further information
A useful list of grant awarding bodies can be found on the BMC website here 

Also, check out this helpful BMC Parent's Guide

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