A regional housebuilder has shortlisted three Shropshire youth sporting groups to go forward to potentially win up to £200,000 in cash.
Persimmon Homes West Midlands launched its Healthy Communities scheme last May, with the aim of giving £615,000 to support amateur youth sport in England, Scotland and Wales. There is a top prize of £200,000 to create a sporting legacy.
As part of the scheme thousands of groups and individuals applied for monthly donations of £750 to pay for kit and equipment. As part of their entry they had to say what they would spend the £200,000 on if they were lucky enough to win it. Persimmon Homes West Midlands gave away £6,000 locally as part of this and nationally, Persimmon’s 30 businesses donated £180,000.
Now, the local business has selected three organisations to be considered for a place in the final – Park Wrekin Gymnastics, based in Wellington, Perry Riding for the Disabled Group, based near Baschurch, and Bridgnorth Rugby Football Club.
The next round will see the board of Persimmon’s Charitable Foundation select one name per regional business to go through to the final with the ultimate winner decided by a public vote.
Online voting will open on Monday, February 5, and run for six weeks until March 16. The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at York Racecourse on Thursday, March 22.
One individual or group will scoop the £200,000 top prize, while two runners-up will win £50,000 each. The other 27 finalists will win £5,000 each.
Stephen Cleveley, director in charge of Persimmon Homes West Midlands, said: “The Healthy Communities scheme aims to create a lasting legacy for young people who love sport and the volunteers who help to deliver it.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response and it is clear that, not only is there a lot of sporting talent out there but there are a lot of people who are very dedicated to their clubs and their sport and who are working exceptionally hard to train our sporting heroes of the future.
“It was very difficult to select just three groups to be considered for the final, however, our three finalists all stood out and we wish them the very best of luck.”
The finalist who will represent Persimmon Homes West Midlands will be announced on Friday, February 2.
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