WE have all seen the adverts for the National Lottery Fund on TV, in magazines and on billboards.

They inform you that money is available for your club or cause. But how easy is it to apply for a grant and does the money reach the grass-roots of sport?

The fund was set up by the Government in 1995 to raise extra money for "good causes" and Sport England was created as a distributor of grants.

Since its launch the organisation has pumped more than £2 billion into British sport, with its aim being "to help make England a successful sporting nation".

Sport England has ploughed over £175 million into the North-west and Bolton has benefited most with more than £20 million invested in various projects.

Bolton Arena, based opposite the Reebok Stadium, was helped by Sport England with the lottery fund paying for a large part of the building.

Arena chief executive Mike Bain goes as far as to say: "If it wasn't for Sport England we probably wouldn't be here."

Another club in Bolton helped by the lottery grants was Bolton Lads and Girls Club, where Olympic medallist Amir Khan first boxed.

In 1999 the club received more than £4 million, which at that time was the largest single award given to a voluntary sector club in the country. The money was used to provide a four-court sports hall, specialist boxing gym, fitness/weights room and a flood-lit five-a-side artificial turf pitch - the sort of facility that could help a youngster become the next Amir or double Gold medallist Kelly Holmes.

Despite this, such grants are not the norm and in 2004, from more than 170 applications for funding throughout the North-west, only 42 schemes were accepted. There is a strict criteria that must be met by people applying for Lottery funds and acceptance can take as long as five months.

Research shows that smaller clubs are at a disadvantage in that they do not have the support that schools have in finding out what funding is there for the taking.

Lottery funds are available but applications are not always successful.

Help is at hand though, for, as well as Sport England, Bolton Council also offers individual and group funding to develop sport in the area and is willing to assist with any queries.

But Christine Mason from New Bury and Farnworth Boxing Club says achieving funding is difficult and she has not applied because she does not know how. "I feel quite left out regarding funding because we haven't received any," she said.

In schools though the system is smoother as the Government's aim is to assign a special sports co-ordinator to every educational establishment.

Many schools in Bolton are already actively involved with their sports officers, who have a wide knowledge of available grants.

The thinking goes that if schools can provide a wide range of different sports, children are more likely to take up a sport at a club elsewhere.

St Joseph's RC High School and Sports College was the first of its kind to be set up in Bolton and it has proved extremely successful.

With extra staff-training obtained through its sports college status, the school has not only brought benefits to itself but to the whole of Bolton as these members of staff have been used to advise other teachers throughout the borough.

It was the school's sports title that enabled it and others to become involved with the sport co-ordinator scheme that is not only being put into action in Bolton, but throughout the country.

Through the Government's bid to actively involve more people in physical activities the sports co-ordinator partnership will be introduced into primary schools throughout the country.

With more money being put into sport, better equipment and a wider variety of different activities will become available to children.

Bolton has witnessed substantial improvements over the past few years with the introduction of Bolton Arena and the Reebok Stadium. Talks of a multi-million pound aquatics centre are also taking place.

Schools, small clubs, youngsters and parents can only hope that they will achieve the funding to enable others to attempt to follow in the footsteps of Amir Khan and become Bolton's future Olympic medalists.

Figures:

Funding from Sport England in Greater Manchester from 1995-2004:

Bolton - £20,098,835.00

Bury - £2,215,657.00

Manchester - £9,372,662.00

Oldham - £3,297,665.00

Rochdale - £3,163,238.00

Salford - £3,592,437.00

Stockport - £2,069,832.00

Tameside - £1,053,453.00

Trafford - £2,694,829.00

Wigan - £11,020,338.00

Total - £58,578,946.00

Information on applying for grants can be found on the Sport England website at www.sportengland.gov.uk