A $58,400 State Government grant has been awarded to Woolgoolga Seniors Centre to refurbish the centre and purchase much needed items.

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Woolgoolga Seniors Centre president Ron Whelan welcomed the new funding and said this was the second time the centre had applied for the NSW Government Infrastructure Grants program funding, after being unsuccessful the first time around.

Mr Whelan said the funds will be a “tremendous help” and will be used to install a Tesla powerwall at the centre to reduce the centre’s electricity costs, purchase 100 new chairs and chairs which will be more suitable for seniors, purchase twenty new tables, install hygienic hand dryers in the centre’s toilet facilities, and purchase new administration equipment and kitchen appliances.

“Currently we are using chairs that are not suitable for our programs, and the new hand dryers will be more hygienic,” Ron said.

Ron wished to thank Gurmesh Singh for his involvement in securing the grant as well as the State Government, and also the people of Woolgoolga for their ongoing support of the seniors centre.

“The people who use the centre really appreciate the funding,” Ron said.

“We have Seniors Week coming up in April, so hopefully we will have a lot of the work done by then.”

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said the NSW Government Infrastructure Grant would help the centre continue its strong support of the local Woolgoolga community as residents continue to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and other challenges over the past year.

“These funds will be used for the refurbishment of the Woolgoolga Seniors Centre and I’m delighted this important project has been supported by the State Government in this way,” Mr Singh said.

“Local organisations are the lifeblood for so many communities, and we want to do everything we can to support them so they can keep their doors open and provide vital services.”

The Infrastructure Grants program in 2020/21 has $10 million available to fund projects to upgrade facilities across arts and culture, community infrastructure, sport and recreation, and disaster readiness.

Since 2015, the NSW Government has funded more than 380 community projects worth $67 million under the Infrastructure Grants Program.

The grants are made possible by the Clubgrants Category 3 Fund which reinvests profits from registered clubs’ gaming machines into a statewide funding pool for large-scale community projects.

Applications for the next round of funding open on Monday 1 February.

For more information or to apply for funding visit www.responsiblegambling.nsw.gov.au.

By Emma DARBIN