Raigmore Football Club has received a sponsorship from Scotmid Co-operative and Asher’s Bakery to purchase new strips, weather proof jackets and much needed training equipment for two primary school teams.
The grant was awarded following an application to Scotmid from Head Coach, Ally Munro. Ally said, “The Club hadn’t had a sponsor in five years despite several promises and we have had the same sets of mismatched strips in all that time. We didn’t just need new strips and training tops, we needed an identity for our teams that the kids, the coaches and the community could be proud of.”
Laura Paterson, Scotmid Membership and Community Officer, said, “Scotmid receives a large amount of applications to our community grant fund from all over our trading area. Since the Asher’s counter was put into our Raigmore store last year, we had been looking for something in the Raigmore community that Asher’s and Scotmid could support together and when this application came in, it seemed ideal.”
Both businesses contributing to the sponsorship meant that the Club could splash out and purchase two sets of new strips, 22 rain jackets, four footballs, a set of goals, kit bags and training cones.
Laura continued, “Raigmore Football club is a great example of a community organisation working hard to improve opportunities for local youngsters so it’s a pleasure to be able to assist them in such a fantastic way.”
Ali Asher, Director at Asher’s Bakery agreed, “Asher’s is delighted to partner up with Scotmid in supporting Raigmore Football Club. Hopefully this support will spur them onto further success on the pitch. They will definitely look the part and with the hard work and dedication of their coach, Ally, that’s no less than they deserve.”
Ally added, “When I heard the news that we were getting the funding, I had a wee tear of joy in my eye. The support Scotmid and Asher’s have given Raigmore Football Club has been fantastic. We provide a service to over 40 primary age children all year round and we are a vital part of the community. More than a football club, it is a place where people make lifelong friends, learn how to respect others, work as a team and have healthy fun in a safe environment. The support has helped us to achieve and maintain this vital service which has struggled due to lack of funding for a number of years and without this help, I’m not sure if it could have continued. On behalf of the players and coaches I would like to thank everyone involved in this lifeline of support and I hope that they have taken Raigmore Football Club to their hearts and continue to sponsor and help us in the future. This is very emotional for me as I can’t put into words how much Scotmid and Ashers have helped us.”