A FUNDING boost of £2,500 is set to allow a West Fife athletics club expand a successful initiative into more deprived areas in the Kingdom.

Pitreavie AAC have been given the cash from Aldi's annual Scottish Sport Fund, which has provided grants to 11 sports clubs across Fife, Perth, Dundee and Angus this year.

As part of the retailer's wider commitment to help cultivate a healthier Scotland, the fund gives local clubs the opportunity to receive funding of between £500 to £2,500, and Pitreavie are one of three West Fife-based organisations to benefit.

In addition to the highest funding in the region being received by Pitreavie; Dunfermline Golf Club, and Waterski and Wakeboard Scotland – based at Townhill Country Park – were also successful and have been given £500 each.

Offering athletics coaching in all disciplines, including track and field, cross-country, road running and hill running, as well as a jogscotland group that offers a 'Couch to 5K' programme, Pitreavie plan to invest the money in their newest 'Run, Jump and Throw' initiative by buying new equipment, such as javelins and puts, as well as training more coaches.

Launched earlier this year, it is aimed at children from Primary 1-7 and focuses on developing athletic skills in an enjoyable and fun way.

Those in the Primary 1-3 age group participate in athletics-based games involving running, jumping, throwing, balance and co-ordination, with the Primary 4-7s also learning basic athletics techniques, and it has been so successful that as many as 190 children have been involved actively during a weekly programme of sessions.

Kate Crawford, Pitreavie's community athletics co-ordinator and coach, said: "All of our team were so grateful to have been awarded £2,500 from Aldi's Scottish Sport Fund.

"This funding will help massively in the development of the Run, Jump and Throw programme, which has proved really popular for youngsters in the local area. We are hoping to expand the programme into more deprived areas in Fife, and this funding will be instrumental in doing so.

"I'd like to thank Aldi for their generosity and to let them know that this funding will really make a difference."

Richard Holloway, Aldi's regional managing director for Scotland, said: "It's brilliant that a wide variety of sports clubs across Fife, Perth, Dundee and Angus have been able to benefit from our Scottish Sport Fund initiative.

"It's humbling to see how much of a difference extra funding can make to clubs like Pitreavie Amateur Athletics, and in supporting people across Scotland to lead an active and healthy lifestyle."

Aldi's Scottish Sport Fund aims to help people of all ages to take part in physical activity within their local communities and, since its launch in 2016, it has invested more than £48,000 in supporting more than 85 clubs across Fife, Perth, Dundee and Angus.

It is open to any sporting organisation that meets the criteria and groups can apply for funding for a wide range of purposes, including new strips and equipment, or for putting towards the cost of training facilities and coaching.

For more information about Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund, visit: www.aldi.co.uk/scottishsportfund.