A £15,000 grant to fund racetrack improvements is helping Hillingdon’s Hayes Hawks BMX Club race to future success.
The club, which has around 300 members, was faced with potentially having to cancel some events due to the degradation of some parts of the track at its home in Lake Farm Country Park in Hayes.
Now, thanks to funding from Grundon, via the Landfill Communities Fund, repair work has been completed ready for the season’s opening races starting in the Spring and the South region race on 20 July.
The club’s Paul Adams says: “We hold a number of race events here every season and the track needs to be of a certain standard. The berms – steeply banked corners – had been deteriorating over time and are really expensive to repair, so it was getting to the stage where we wouldn’t have been able to hold events.”
On Saturday (15 February), to mark the official opening of the newly-repaired track, the club welcomed visitors from both Grundon and Groundwork South, the community and environmental charity which distributes the landfill tax monies on behalf of Grundon.
Grundon’s Kirsti Santer, Head of Marketing & Communications and Annie Sessions, Marketing Manager, were joined by Michelle Jones, Project Manager at Groundwork South.
“We were absolutely thrilled to see what a fantastic job the club does in engaging youngsters of all ages with BMX riding and racing,” said Kirsti.
“Given it is based in the heart of our operating area, we were delighted to contribute to its ongoing successes by providing a grant to help ensure the track stays in tip-top condition and we can’t wait to see what a great season they have in store.”
Kirsti Santer
Head of Marketing & Communications at Grundon
Michelle added: “This was such an exciting day and our visit really brought the project to life because we could see just how much enjoyment the BMXers get from their racing. We are very pleased to be able to support Hayes Hawks, London Borough of Hillingdon and the wider UK BMX community.”
Paul continues: “It was very rewarding to welcome our Grundon and Groundwork visitors and let them see for themselves just how popular the club is and what a great job it does in fostering team spirit and encouraging youngsters to be more active.
“Interest in BMX racing continues to grow, partly due to the success of British cycling and also events such as the Olympics, and we are always keen to attract more members. We are so grateful that, with this funding, we can continue to improve the track and host events throughout the season.”