Inverness Caledonian Thistle Launches Third Healthy Heart Grant
Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC are celebrating a further achievement on top of reaching their first European qualification – a third Healthy Heart Grant from Heart Research UK and sandwich franchise SUBWAY® stores to help Highlands schoolchildren look after their hearts.
The Scottish Premier League club’s latest grant is to continue its ‘footworx’ projects across primary schools in the Highlands which have so far reached over 3,000 youngsters, covered 17,472 miles and visited 110 primary schools.
The club launched its latest grant in front of Caley Thistle fans celebrating the club’s qualification Europe at Saturday’s last home game of the season against Dundee United.
The latest “footworx” grant will address the important message of promoting a Heart Health through a further 40 primary schools in the Highland area with the idea that it enables mass participation across Caley Thistle’s catchment area. The club’s aim is to ensure that the project reaches out to rural schools within the Highlands to ensure no-one is overlooked in the delivery of the initiative.
Craig Masterton, Head of Community Development at Inverness Caledonian Thistle said: “It’s an honour to be awarded a grant for a third time and it is testament to the fantastic work the community team are carrying out throughout the Highlands. We have travelled a tremendous distance to pass on the message about Heart Health and look forward to working with Heart Research UK and SUBWAY® for another year to reach yet more schools.
“Every child in our catchment area deserves the same opportunity and without this pivotal funding reaching out to them would become difficult.
“Launching the next year of funding at the club’s final home game of an exceptionally successful season in front of fans celebrating getting into Europe for the first time was a fitting way to kick off the project and share the community outreach ventures with our fans.”
The project includes exercise classes done to music and based on basic movement patterns placed upon the body during a game of football. After the sessions each child takes home and completes an exercise diary which is signed by a guardian, this encourages parents to get involved in the choices their child makes.
Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK says: “We are delighted to offer a third grant to Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Trust’s project. It is important that no matter how rural the school is, they can still benefit from great projects like this.”
Manaaz Akhtar, Regional Marketing Director for the SUBWAY® brand in Europe, says: “The SUBWAY® brand is delighted to be able to fund this worthwhile initiative. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of our staff and customers in Scotland, we have managed to support a unique community project which will help to promote heart health.”
You can also follow Heart Research UK on Twitter: @heartresearchuk or become a fan of our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heart-Research-UK/10733061906