Current bus
South Kintyre Sports Council launches Mini Bus Appeal
South Kintyre Sports Council’s efforts to purchase a new mini bus is speeding up and the voluntary group are now calling on local businesses interested in a sponsorship deal to help put a brand new mini bus on the road for the summer of 2007.
Sid Gallagher of the SKSC “We started this project six months ago and are only now seeing some light at the end of the tunnel – the whole process is extremely slow in terms of applying for funding but we finally feel we are getting somewhere. A grant from Argyll and Bute council has enabled the Sports Council to employ Logical Solutions to collect relevant information to complete the application form for the Big Lottery Fund. The work that has been done, as well as allowing the completion of the application form, has provided useful sets of data that will be used in this application and any other projects carried out by the sports council. We have submitted an application to Rural Community Transport Initiative and will hear how we faired this month. In addition an application to the Big Lottery Fund will shortly be sent. However, we still need to raise around £15,000, perhaps more if one of our grant applications fails”
SKSC’s Duncan McAulay who has managed the bus, along with his wife Malina, for the last five years stated “The existing minibus has been available for hire to local groups since 1998 but it has served it time and is no longer cost effective to run. A great variety of local organisations and institutions have been able to make use of it. In an isolated area like Kintyre the services of the bus have been invaluable. It has covered 73,000 miles and been used for an average of 45 hires per year by many different organisations." Now South Kintyre Sports Council is looking to the future and is raising funds to purchase a new bus. The present bus was obtained by the hard working members of the Sports Council committee in 1998 when they were successful in obtaining the bus from “The Foundation for Sports and the Arts. Since then the bus has been well maintained and provided useful service. Duncan added “Through out the time that the bus has been in use it has been financially viable. However, it is now costing more to keep it on the road and we can see the time coming when it will cost more to run than we can afford.”
The Sports Council Secretary, David Paterson, added, “We are now looking for local businesses to purchase advertising space on a new bus when we get it. Spaces will be limited and we feel this is an excellent opportunity to promote your business whilst supporting sport in the community. As well as purchasing advertising space on the bus for a minimum of three years we are offering local press coverage, radio and web coverage as well as the unique chance for your advert to be seen all over Scotland. By raising money through this we will then be able to apply to Sport Scotland for match funding which could double our income.”
This appealing sponsorship deal includes:
• 3 year sponsorship deal
• 1 of 9 banner adverts on new mini bus.
• All sign work included
• Bus seen throughout Argyll and Scotland
• Local press coverage including final feature in Courier displayed all sponsors (pd by SKSC)
• Web coverage – on www.southkintyresportscouncil.com, www.campbeltown.info & www.kintyreforum.com
• Radio coverage on Argyll FM
“The cost of replacing the new mini bus with disabled access, to meet legal requirements, and fit for sports use will be just under £40,000. This is an enormous amount but we are convinced we will meet our target by May 2007 through the grant applications, hard work and local support. To date the project has been going on steadily in the background while we concentrated on the grant applications and so far we have raised just under £4000 with the most recent donation being a cheque from the Rotary Club of Campbeltown for £2000, which we cannot thank them enough. We have also received £800 from the Campbeltown Tartan Army, £300 from the Sports Council and £136.50 from Sid’s Half Marathon run earlier this year.”
The group also plan to hold a number of fund raising events over the next 5 months including pub quizzes, bonus balls, prize bingo and are at the early stages of organising a major fundraising even. Please check both the Courier and the Kintyre Forum for more information
The Sports Council was founded in 1985 to assist and promote sport in South Kintyre and was reformed in March 2006 with a new committee. The group this year has supported The Mull of Kintyre Half Marathon, Kintyre Shinty Club and the newly formed Kintyre Swimming Club as well as liaising with the Council over matters such as the All Weather Pitch Project, Hall Charges and Council facilities in general. All members are also actively supporting their own clubs. There are currently twenty two member clubs which is believed to be the highest for a number of years and the group would encourage anyone interested in joining the Sports Council to do so. For more information about the Sports Council and the Mini Bus Appeal project please log-on to our new website at www.southkintyresportscouncil.com
If interested in sponsorship deal please contact one of the committee members - Sid Gallagher (552294), David Paterson (554781), Kerry McKinven (552586), Duncan McAulay (552922) Helen MacKinlay (553151)
Our website has full details of our Mini Bus Appeal project so please log-on to our new website at www.southkintyresportscouncil.com
