A SPORTS club has been awarded National Lottery funding to ensure it is able to stay afloat whilst it is closed during the lockdown.

Lanercost Sports Club has been given a grant of £2,700 from Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund to support it during the financial uncertainty brought about through Covid-19.

This money will be used by the club for a number of things surrounding general outgoings - insurance, pitch and machine maintenance, utilities, and other bills.

Mike Mitchelson, club chairman said: “We are grateful to Sport England and the National Lottery emergency fund for recognising the needs of clubs like Lanercost which are currently facing challenging times in making sure that clubs continue to be sustainable.

“A lot of hard work and commitment from dedicated teams of volunteers goes into the running of modern day sports clubs. Lanercost, like many other good clubs in our area, are doing all they can to ensure they survive and be in a position to be ready to go again, once restrictions are lifted.

“We are pleased that Lanercost is recognised by Sport England as a vital club that contributes to the nation’s health and wellbeing by providing local grassroots sporting opportunities.”

The cricket season was set to kick off in April which would have brought a stream of funding to the club through fundraisers, subscriptions, and league competitions.

When lockdown began, this funding stream hit zero and greater uncertainty surrounded whether any cricket would be able to be played this year.

It is a similar story right across the county, and this prompted Sport England to set up a £195 million package to support the sport sector during this time of financial uncertainty.

Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of Sport England, said: “We are proud to be able to provide vital funding to Lanercost Sports Club to help it through these extremely challenging times.”