Dear GMCT Supporter,
We hope you all had a relaxing break over the festive period which now seems like a distant memory after such a fast start to 2015. January for the Community Trust has been as busy as ever as you will see from our Newsletter below. It’s great to hear about all the different sections that are all involved with the Community Trust so that everyone has an idea of the growth the trust is already having with room for more over this coming year.
Our new Community Engagement Manager, Paddy McAlees, has been out visiting all council run nursery schools in Inverclyde. Paddy is encouraging them to keep active and it is anticipated that around 1000 children of pre-school age will have participated in our Physical Literacy Programme over the next few months. Not only do the children enjoy the classes but the staff do too. Children can always join our Micro Morton sessions with detail below of each of the classes that the Community Trust provide. This is a superb way for children as young as 2 years old to get involved in sport, encouraging them that any kind of activity is great for you.
Cappielow has also been busy this month with our new employability programme which you can ready about below. I also met with Morton’s new signing Peter MacDonald as he helped me out after training so we can promote our new community programme “Football Fans in Training”.
Also, remember when you are shopping online that you could sign up to easyfundraising (all links at the bottom of this newsletter) and help raise additional funds for the Community Trust.
If anyone would like to volunteer with any part of the trust then please just drop me a note at pr@mortoncommunity.net
Yours in football
Karen Welsh, PR & Fundraising Manager, Greenock Morton Community Trust pr@mortoncommunity.net
Community Teams by Brian McLaughlin
The community teams have officially started back 3 weeks ago, however snow, wind, rain and hailstones has been the winner with numerous sessions postponed. However we have had some excellent sessions with the children looking really sharp and ready for the season ahead.
Having watched training on Thursday 29th January I am really excited for 2015, pictured are our 2006 squad who worked extremely hard during a cold night at the Battery Park. Also look out for them at the 1st team game against Stirling Albion on Saturday 7th February as they will be playing at half time.
Furthermore, a positive meeting was held with our oldest age group (2003’s) with the possibility of our first 11 aside team under the Community Trust Badge looking extremely likely for April onwards. 2015 looks extremely exciting both on and off the park.
Weekly Sessions by Karen Welsh
Block 3 is now underway and we are delighted to have added more venues to our Mini and Micro sessions.
Classes are as follows:
NEW VENUE: Inverkip Village Church Hall started on Friday 16th January and runs for 6 weeks for both Micro & Mini Morton. Micro Morton for pre-school children 4-5pm and Mini Morton for children in P1-P3 5-6pm.
Clydeview Academy classes will run on a Saturday with the same times as Block 1 & 2. Micro Morton for pre-school children with classes at 9am, 10am and 11am. Mini Morton is split into two separate sessions for children in P1-P3 at 9.15am and another for children P4-P7 at 10.45am.
Inverclyde Academy classes will run on a Sunday with Mini Morton the same times as Block 1 & 2 but an earlier KO for our Micro Morton kids with sessions now starting at 9am, 10am & 11am. Micro Morton for pre-school children with classes at 9am, 10am & 11am. Mini Morton is split into two separate sessions for children in P1-P3 at 9.15am and another for children P4-P7 at 10.45am.
St Columba’s, Kilmacolm classes run on a Monday for Mini Morton. As before they are split into two separate sessions for children in P1-P3 at 6-7pm and another for children P4-P7 at 7-8pm.
NEW VENUE: These session will not start the 6 week block until Wednesday 18th February due to building work at Gibshill Community Centre but you can still book online for Micro Morton (pre-school) 4-4.45pm and Mini Morton (2 sessions split by age P1-P3 at 5-6pm & P4-P7 at 6-7pm). The first two weeks are free.
Why not get your kids active in 2015 by signing up to any of these fun packed sessions above.
Morton Girls by Leeanne McPhail
Happy New Year to all. Morton Girls have just returned to training and will start pre season preparations for our season beginning in March. For season 2015 we will have u9s, u11s, u13s, u15s and u17s. We extend a big welcome to our new players and our new coaches Danny Munro, Ally Burns, Ainsley Brennan, Kristy McGunnigle and Stephen McCahill. Squads are almost full for this season but if any any girl with previous experience would like a trial they should contact mortongirls@mortoncommunity.net
Education and Employability by Gordon McKillop
Positive Goals
Positive Goals is well underway. Thus far, we have delivered a number of Life Work Planning and Business Culture workshops.
Additionally, we had a productive session with Financial Fitness and a number of IT sessions with Community Learning Development.
In the coming weeks, the group will achieve accreditation in First Aid and Customer Service.
Football Fans In Training
Recruitment for FFIT is well underway and spaces are filling up fast.
If you are interested in participating and making changes to your lifestyle, please get in touch with Gordon or Brian on 01475 731949, otherwise visit http://spfltrust.org.uk
Greenock Morton Hockey Club by Alan Martin
The winter break is over and the Ladies have resumed outdoor matches and club training is now back on after the snow, for information on matches please check the club facebook page.
The Men’s teams have both been involved in the Indoor Leagues during the break from outdoor hockey. The Men’s 1’s at the time of writing still have an outside chance of promotion from their league and the Men’s 2’s have used indoor for junior development and this has proved very successful with many of the younger players gaining valuable experience.
The Men’s and Ladies teams will look to flourish in the second half of the season under their new sponsor Go Coco Drinks.
The Juniors have resumed training both on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Our U10’s, U12’s, U14’s and U16’s have all played in tournaments recently with mixed results. The coaches will be working hard to help the players improve even further. We hope to see a lot more junior activity happening with the new sponsorship coming from Texas Instruments.
£106K for EcoFriendly Project as reported in the Greenock Telegraph
The Greenock Morton Community Trust (GMCT) has been awarded the huge sum from the Scottish Government-funded Climate Challenge Fund to support its ‘Greener Morton’ programme.
A whopping £106,000 grant will help the trust deliver an eco-friendly message linked with physical activity to over 2,000 P4-6 pupils in primary schools across Inverclyde.
The cash bonanza will also allow the charitable organisation to create Inverclyde’s first football kit and boot recycling facility and help the club reduce its own carbon footprint.
It will use some of the money for a new energy efficient drying room for all team kit, replacing tumble dryers.
There are also plans afoot to organise an open day to promote ‘greener’ living.
Former Ton striker Warren Hawke, who works with the GMCT and club as development consultant, said: “We are absolutely delighted that we have been awarded this funding. We are very proud to be part of this initiative in such a short space of time since the inception of GMCT.”
Greener Morton is the first project in Inverclyde to benefit from the Climate Challenge Fund.
The cash will allow GMCT to start eco-friendly schemes across all Morton-related teams, which will include policies such as car sharing to reduce emissions.
More staff will be recruited on to help deliver the programme, which is due to start in April.
Warren said: “We will require more coaches and people to work on delivering the programme, so there will be employment opportunities on the back of this.”
But trust chiefs are also thrilled to be able to help underprivileged youngsters in Inverclyde by re-using perfectly good boots and kit via a recycling facility.
Warren, whose son Lewis played for the Ton, said: “Ultimately we are going to be delivering to over 2,000 children and will start up a recycling facility at Cappielow. Unfortunately some families can’t afford boots and kit. I don’t want there to be a barrier to sport because there’s no kit. I remember the amount of boots we had in Lewis’ wardrobe when he was growing up, and kit that didn’t fit him anymore, and it would’ve been nice back then to have some sort of recycling facility.”
Community Trust Office News by Karen Welsh
GREENOCK MORTON COMMUNITY TRUST CELEBRATES DONATION FROM THE GALAXY HOT CHOCOLATE FUND
Greenock Morton Community Trust, based in Inverclyde, is celebrating after receiving a £300 donation from the GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund.
The Greenock Morton Community Trust brings together Greenock Morton Football Club and Greenock Morton Supporters’ Trust, with the aim of using the Morton brand to deliver quality community coaching and social inclusion programmes to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
Karen Welsh, PR & Fundraising Manager, says: “Although Greenock Morton Community Trust is only in its second year, we have made fantastic progress across Inverclyde with more than 500 people taking part in weekly sessions or school holiday programmes.
“We’re over the moon with the response, but it does mean we get through a lot of equipment. This donation is very welcome as it means that we can purchase more footballs suitable for our micro and mini sessions.”
GALAXY Hot Chocolate is looking to help small, local community groups and charities across the UK and Ireland by donating cash awards to support warm hearted people and projects.
Michelle Frost, spokeswoman for GALAXY Hot Chocolate said yesterday: “We know that across the UK and Ireland smaller charities and groups struggle to make ends meet despite the efforts of a huge number of warm hearted volunteers.
“The GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund aims to give them a helping hand and hopefully inspire more people to get involved with local community groups.”
Open for entries until February 23 2015, the Fund will distribute five £300 awards to deserving recipients every week. Applications to the fund can be made on the GALAXY Hot Chocolate website www.galaxyhotchocolate.com.
GALAXY hot chocolate offers the smooth creamy taste of GALAXY chocolate in a heart-warming drink.
