Advantage! Barrow Raiders Community Foundation have won funding from the People’s Project which will allow the charity to continue working to support people who suffer a disadvantage.

Advantage! BRCF is the community arm of Barrow Raiders RLFC, it started in 2019 with just three people and is now a team of seven staff.

They have received up to £70,000, which will help Advantage! Able Raiders to deliver sport and activity sessions to adults and young people with learning disabilities.

Every week, Able Raiders enjoy multi sports sessions outdoors at The Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium or indoors at Hoops Basketball Centre depending on the weather, with activities such as rugby, football, basketball, exercise to music, boccia, New Age curling, archery, tennis, dodgeball and more.

They also have weekly tag rugby sessions, to prepare for the Community Integrated Care Super League festival season fixtures.

Advantage! Said: We are absolutely DELIGHTED to announce we have won this year’s People’s Projects! We are at a complete loss for words but want to say a huge heartfelt thank you to each and every person who took the time to vote for this amazing group. To be able to continue delivering the work we do with our Able Raiders will make such a huge difference and means the absolute world, and we really could not be more grateful to have been named as this year’s winners.”

“It means everything to us,” said Lisa Neale, the Operations Manager, “To be able to continue to provide what we’ve set up, providing sports and health and wellbeing activities for adults with a learning disability throughout Barrow and the Furness area. We have an enormous uptake in our sessions, sometimes reaching over 100 people each week.

"We started off with a rugby background and in Rugby League, but from that it's grown, and we do every activity that anybody wants to participate in. We adapt sports to suit all different abilities."

The People’s Projects is made up of The National Lottery Community Fund, The National Lottery, ITV, UTV and the Sunday Mail in Scotland, who teamed up to give the public a chance to decide how over £4 million should be used in their local area. The three projects that received the most votes in each ITV region have received up to £70,000.