£5.1m lottery investment for local sports

Sport England has announced that 32 new sporting projects will share a slice of a £5.1 m national lottery fund aimed at getting more people involved in sport.

"This fund was created to respond to demand among local communities for investment to reach down to the local level", said Mike Diaper, Community Sport Director for Sport England.

"By working with new partners, taking a flexible approach and investing in innovative ideas, we're offering people the chance to get into sport in a way that most suits their needs and aspirations."

One recipient of the funding (receiving £177,826) is Wigan Borough Sports Council, which plans to establish four new sports zones. Elsewhere, St Mary's University College in London was awarded £246,860 to provide more opportunities for women to take part in sport.

This is the first of five rounds of funding, with a total investment of £40m on offer. A second round of bids, ending 1 July 2013, is currently underway with grants of between £50,000 and £250,000 for a wide range of projects to be funded by the Community Sport Activation Fund (CSAF).

For further information on the CSAF, click here.