A COMMUNITY enterprise providing water activities and training for young people is excited that Sport Wales has agreed to match fund its crowdfunder.

Paddle West Community CIC provides water safety training and Adventurous Activities to Schools and youth groups from Pembrokeshire and beyond.

The aim of the crowdfunder (www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/pembroke-boathouse) is to restore Pembroke Boathouse and provide changing facilities, classroom and meeting spaces for water sports and other community groups.

In the last three years Paddle West has been the winner of Paddle UK’s Every Person Matters Award and the runner up of the Paddle UK Engagement award as well as winning Pembroke Town’s Hamish Whyte Award for its work in the local community.

Sport Wales has pledged to match every donation that comes through the CrowdFunder page as long as certain targets are met. The match funding will show on CrowdFunder when Paddle West meets 25 per cent of its goal. A minimum of 100 supporters are needed, and to meet 50 per cent from other donors.

The CrowdFunder appeal explains:

“For the last seven years we have tried to secure a lease on the town boathouse as we have seen it continue to deteriorate around us. We now have a 15 year lease to provide security for projects for the next decade and a half.

“By restoring the building we hope to be able to provide improved access to adventurous sports for the youth of Pembrokeshire. A warm dry classroom and changing facilities will allow us to operate for more of the year and improve the quality of our training and education.

“We hope to make the classroom available to other community groups when it is not in use by us to add as much value to the local community as possible.

“The building will be used to provide employment opportunities to those who are leaving education who are struggling to find employment elsewhere. The classroom space will allow increased training options, particularly in bad weather. It will allow more people with more challenging needs to be trained to work in the outdoor industry, while providing work experience and subsidised activities for local schools and youth groups.

“Lighting and power in the building will allow Paddle West and other community organisations to use the building into the evenings, allowing them to grow and thrive providing more options for activities and support within the community.

“The increased hours of activity will further the locations reputation as a safe space for young people to feel welcome and be supported by DBS checked Mental Health First Aiders.”

The appeal continues until August 24.

Every little helps, and although some of the targets seem far off, Paddle West already have £40,000 in large grants as long as its own fundraising goals are met. The crowdfunder is already over halfway to the 100 donor mark, and larger donations are now being sought from big organisations.

“If you have already donated, this will also be matched as long as we meet our targets,” the company adds.