Funding boost for victoria’s oldest croquet club

Victoria’s oldest operating croquet club will enjoy a welcome funding boost as part of the latest round of VicHealth’s Active Club Grants program.

The Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, announced that Kyneton Croquet Club received $3000 to replace old and deteriorating equipment including mallets, balls and hoops.

Club President, Adrienne Allen, said the club was "thrilled with the funding win and is helping to make the sport more accessible for new and existing players".

"The mallets we’ve been using have all been donated to the club over the last 30 years by members who have passed on. With money to purchase new croquet clubs, we can cut down and recycle our old clubs for use with junior players".

Ms Thomas announced that Gisborne Bowling Club had also received $2900 funding for new bowls including junior bowls to boost junior participation following the installation of a new $100,000 synthetic green made possible with a grant provided by the Andrews Government.

"These grants are fantastic – not only do they encourage more sports and recreation, they also provide that real sense of community that comes from being part of a local club," Ms Thomas said.

"I encourage everyone to get involved with a local club as they provide a fun and sociable escape from the stresses of modern life".

In total, 263 Victorian clubs will receive grants as part of this round of the VicHealth Active Club Grants program, totalling $746,000.

The VicHealth Active Club Grants program puts up to $1.5 million each year towards helping communities get more physically active.

More than 8000 sporting clubs across Victoria have received Active Club Grants over the past 20 years and more than 1 million club members have been able to access safer and better equipped clubs with well-trained staff.

For more information about VicHealth’s Active Clubs Grants, go to: www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/activeclub