Orkney Islands Sea Angling Association has received £2,007 while Kirkwall City Ladies Football Club has received £6,930 thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund in partnership with sportscotland.

The funding comes from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland – a quick and simple way to access small National Lottery grants of between £300 and £10,000.

Orkney Islands Sea Angling Association will use the money for upkeep, maintenance and safety certification of the club boat. This will allow the club to continue to offer angling to seasoned veterans, beginners and people who enjoy the outdoors.

Kirkwall City Ladies Football Club plan to start a girls youth team which will be the first on Orkney. The girls from primary and secondary schools will be given the opportunity to join in allocated times for training in the summer. A trial period for 7-11 year olds last year was successful with 30 pupils taking part.

The grants have been made possible thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK.

Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said:

“This is extremely welcome news for sport in Scotland at a time where there are plenty of challenges across the sporting sector.

“This investment from The National Lottery will make a huge difference to clubs and communities across the country. The grants will help contribute to sportscotland’s vision of an active Scotland where everyone benefits from sport.”

“This support for sport and communities would not be possible without National Lottery players. I’d like to thank them for their contributions which are playing a critical role in supporting people, projects and communities during these challenging times.”

There are 25 sport and physical activity projects set to receive grants across the country as part of an overall 246 awards being made to voluntary and community groups in Scotland, totalling £10,922,246.

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said:

 “Charities and community groups across Scotland have played an incredible role in rising to the challenges of COVID-19. So, it’s great to see that a wide range of projects across the length and breadth of Scotland benefitting from this package of grants. Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding will breathe life back into local communities, allowing essential community projects to adapt and rebuild with local people at their heart.”

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland is now more straightforward to apply to and faster to get funding from. Applications are received on a rolling basis and can be received at any time. To find out what National Lottery Awards for All Scotland could do for your community visit our website www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or phone 0141 846 0447.