TWO West Devon sports clubs have received lottery cash in the latest round of Awards For All grants.

Okehampton Argyle Youth Football Club received a grant for £3,550 which will help the club in its quest to achieve FA Charter status.

The club will use the money to purchase new equipment to improve training facilities as well as training all their coaches in areas of child protection, first aid and to FA Level 1 in coaching.

Jim Burdus, Okehampton Argyle treasurer said: ?The club is not money rich and therefore it is great we are now able to send all our guys on coaching courses and provide portable goals for our kids. It is brilliant.?

Mr Burdus said the club would be buying new equipment, including portable goals, training equipment and footballs, which would be used by both junior and senior sides.

He said the club was aiming to ?encourage better access for people in the area to the sport?.

Mr Burdus said FA Charter Status would improve the overall standards of the club and help it with future grant applications.

He explained the club was also looking for someone to assist with co-ordinating the spending of the money and promotion of the scheme.

Anyone who would like to find out more about the role is asked to contact club secretary Colin Beer on 01837 52989.

Halwill Cricket Club was a recipient of a £1,457 grant to buy a safe practice net facility, as well as additional practice equipment.

Martin Webb, of Halwill Cricket Club, said although the practice nets could be used to benefit players of all ages, they were primarily aimed at encouraging youngsters to take up the game.

Mr Webb said he had been delighted to learn of the award: ?It is excellent.

?It takes the pressure off, we are still doing fundraising, but now we can concentrate more on bringing the youth in.?

He said the club was already working with the village primary school to get children playing cricket at an early age.

Ray Moore, acting senior awards officer, said: ?I think the success of the Awards For All scheme is that we can quickly get money to where it is needed.?

He added: ?Although our grants may not be large in comparison with some of the other Lottery distributors, sometimes relatively small sums of money can have a big impact and I know these awards will make a real difference to communities throughout the South West region.?

Mr Moore said Awards For All anticipated being able to support a further 100 projects per month in the first quarter of 2004.

Local clubs and voluntary organisations should check the programme details at the website http://www.awardsforall.org.uk">www.awardsforall.org.uk to see if they qualify.

Application forms are available by ringing 0845 602040.