A football club is one of the latest groups to receive a grant from Birmingham Airport’s Community Trust Fund.
The grant of more than £700 has helped Ulverley Hawks FC, based in Solihull, to buy new kit such as corner flags, nets and balls, which are all vital in its continuing success.
Formed in 1990, the club supports 11 different teams from under-sevens to under-16s.
John Morris, Birmingham Airport’s head of corporate affairs, said: “Helping projects and organisations such as this is exactly what the Community Trust Fund was set up to achieve. Ulverley Hawks is a well established club, offering local children and teenagers the chance to improve their footballing skills whilst also being part of a team and we hope that the new equipment will come in useful this season and for many more after that.”
Steve Fackrell, Ulverley Hawks FC’s chairman, said: “It is great that we have received this grant which has enabled us to purchase equipment that we were desperately in need of such as nets, flags and balls. There are a lot of people involved with the club who put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes and I know everyone associated with the Hawks are delighted with this.”
BIA’s Community Trust Fund, which was set up a decade ago to help local causes, has already handed grants to more than 400 projects, totalling nearly £900,000, with recipients varying from dance clubs to Scout groups.
The airport works closely with communities – its community and environment team, which has increased in size from five to seven this year, launched its Community Outreach Programme in May. This aims to increase awareness about the airport’s operations, enabling a more open dialogue with people and encourage a greater understanding about key areas of concern.
Mr Morris added: “Many local people will have had first-hand experience of how the airport has taken some major steps over the last year to reach out into the community and listen to what people think.
“We understand that there are people that dislike aviation or are worried about future development, but we are confident that by being totally committed to our community and environment programmes we can grow responsibly whilst giving the region an airport that it deserves.”
