AWARD WINNING ALYTH GOLF CLUB BECOMES MORE

ACCESSIBLE

Alyth Golf Club is celebrating after securing an award to make its club more accessible to its members and visitors. The Perthshire club made an application for an Awards For All grant to obtain funds to purchase a buggy and storage facility to ensure less abled golfers could continue to enjoy the game at their club.
The forward thinking club formed the Alyth Golf Club Disabled Users Group, after recognising some of their golfers were resigning from their membership.

Managing Secretary for the club, Jim Docherty said: “It had become apparent that we were losing some of our members as they were no longer able to get around our course unassisted and were leaving due to health reasons.
“The club was keen to remedy the situation as soon as possible, so club members donated money to form and set up the group to specifically look after the interests of our less able members.”
Docherty and the group recognised that buggies would help to resolve the accessibility issues and submitted the funding application, supported by local MP Peter Wishart.
Docherty was recently notified that his funding application had been successful and would receive a grant of £5,000. The Disabled Users Group met and agreed the award would be used to purchase a buggy and storage facility.
Docherty said, “We were absolutely delighted when we discovered we would receive the award and are very grateful to the support we received which helped our application. It will make a huge difference to some of our members and we hope to attract some of the former members back to the club as well as coax new members to become involved and enjoy the game.”
Keen to keep the momentum going, Docherty and the members group is now seeking to attract further funding from Perth and Kinross Council to buy three more buggies for the club and also hope to get support from Scottish Hydro Electric to instal electrical services for the buggies.
Hamish Grey, CEO at the Scottish Golf Union said, “Alyth is a great example of a club showing initiative and successfully ensuring their club and facilities are as inclusive as possible for its members and visitors alike."

Any parties interested in lending support or funding to Alyth’s Disabled Users Group should contact Jim Docherty, the group’s secretary and treasurer (telephone 01828 632268).