Kidderminster Carolians groundsman Mark Blakeway is to take delivery of a new tractor to help him maintain the pitches at Marlpool Lane.
Blakeway was Groundsman of the Year at the North Midlands Volunteer Reward and Recognition Evening last September, a recognition of the outstanding work he has done in looking after Kidderminster’s pitches for the last 17 years.
Blakeway currently uses a former agricultural tractor to maintain the playing surfaces of Kidderminster’s pitches but he can now look forward to using a smaller one, specifically-designed for groundsmen thanks to a £5,000 grant from the Rugby Football Foundation’s Ground Match scheme.
The grant will provide 50 per cent of the cost of the tractor with Kidderminster raising the balance of the money.
The RFF Ground Match scheme provides easy access to grant funding for capital projects that contribute to the recruitment and retention of community rugby players in England.
All clubs at level five and below in the English Clubs Rugby Union Championship are eligible to apply to the scheme.
The maximum grant available is £5,000 and the minimum is £1,500. Grants are available on the basis of matching clubs’ own funds on a 50/50 basis for a proposed project.
The Rugby Football Foundation is a charitable trust established by the RFU and is a major funding source for amateur rugby in England, with over £10million invested in developing clubs and improving infrastructure and facilities.