A GRANT from the Westfield Benarty Community Fund to Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club will offer 20 kids from the Benarty area the opportunity of off-road motor cycling.

This latest award will be used to provide 20 young participants with three free coaching sessions on the track at Ballingry.

The club offers a progressive learning route that enables some participants to get to a level to compete in National and Regional Motocross or Trials championships.

Free fix bike nights will be available at the club’s workshop where they help young people and children, parents too, to learn basic motorcycle maintenance and repair.

The workshop sessions are a perfect complement to the outdoor training. They give budding riders the skills to look after their motorcycle and ensure its safety as well as providing basic skills to start a career in mechanical engineering.

The grant award will enable young people in the Benarty area access club coaching sessions free of change. KORMC encourages safe and responsible motorcycling and works to reduce illegal off-road motorcycling helping to make communities safer.

David Paton, KORMC programme co-ordinator, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for some kids who would not otherwise be able to participate in off-road motorsport.

“It gives us the chance to help more individuals excel, develop and compete at regional and national levels.

“Who knows, one day we might have a champion hailing from the Benarty area! On behalf of our charity I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Ventient Westfield Benarty Community Fund, the panel members and everyone involved in this grant award.”

Catherine Francis, community fund co-ordinator at Foundation Scotland, highlighted the importance of local people’s involvement in manging the community benefit funds.

She said: “The Benarty Wind farm Community Fund has received more than £70,000 over the last 7 years. All this money has gone into funding projects at the heart of the Benarty community.

“We work with a panel of local people who bring their knowledge and insights on how the funding should be distributed and play a vital role in making the Fund a success.”

Also funded was a grant to the Benarty Primary School Parent Council to assist with providing hoodies to all P7 pupils.

The closing date for the next round of applications to the Westfield Benarty Wind Farm Community Fund is February 11, 2021. Applications for funding to support projects that benefit residents of the Benarty Community Council are welcome.