IT will be plain sailing for members of a Renfrewshire community group after they were awarded a grant of £10,000.

They were one of seven organisations from across the local authority area who were handed grants totalling more than £55,000 between them from the National Lottery’s Awards for All Scotland programme.

Renfrewshire Sports Development Committee, based at the Disability Resource Centre in Love Street, Paisley, were awarded the maximum grant of £10,000, which will be used to fund sailing activities. The group provides access to sports for people with disabilities and sensory impairments.

Mary Christison, day centre officer at the Disability Resource Centre, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news. It will be used to take people sailing and canoeing down at Castle Semple, Lochwinnoch where they have accessible boats and hoists. Sailing activities help build confidence.We have fun sessions but we also have three men here who are competing sailors, they were new to sailing but have already won gold, silver and bronze.”

Renfrewshire Sports Development Committee, Bridge of Weir Primary, Langbank Primary, Braehead Junior Ice Hockey Club, Inchinnan Tuesday Club, Kelburne Hockey Club, and The Jazz Choir Limited were awarded a total of £55,758 between them.

Both Langbank and Bridge of Weir primary schools were also awarded the top grant amounts, which will be used to upgrade the schools’ outdoor areas and install playground equipment, respectively.

MSP Derek Mackay welcomed the announcement that two schools in his Renfrewshire North and West constituency received the five-figure grants, saying: “This is fantastic news, and I would like to congratulate both primary schools on securing these grants. Improvements to the playground and play areas within these two schools are long overdue and this funding will be a much sought after boost for them.“Good quality playgrounds and play equipment can benefit pupils in many ways and helps them to develop skills that may not be focused on within the classroom. I know that this will come as welcome news to the parents and teachers who have fought hard to secure this funding and I am sure that once these works are completed, the pupils will enjoy the benefits too.”

Jazz Choir Ltd, which is also based in Bridge of Weir, was awarded £9,998, which will enable the group to create a nursery choir, introduce a training and development programme and purchase a PA system.

Kelburne Hockey Club, in Paisley, was awarded £7,400 and will use it to provide coaching to school pupils in conjunction with Renfrewshire Leisure and Paisley East Community Sports Hub.

Service users at the Inchinnan Tuesday Club also have cause to celebrate, as the pensioners’ club benefits from a grant of £6,260 and will be now able to enjoy outings and other activities thanks to the funding boost.

Braehead Junior Ice Hockey Club were also awarded a cool £2,100 that will help increase the number of qualified coaches and provide additional equipment at their twice-weekly Learn to Play sessions for those aged 13 years and under.

Awards for All Scotland offers National Lottery grants of between £500 and £10,000 to projects that bring communities together to enjoy a range of activities. It is a partnership by sportscotland, Big Lottery Fund and Creative Scotland.

The Renfrewshire organisations were amongst 144 from across Scotland to receive a share of £1.1m in the latest grants handed out. Applications are received on a rolling basis and can be received at any time. Groups can download a form from www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/awardsforallscotland