BOLTON Sea Cadets will soon be travelling around in style, thanks to an £11,880 grant from the Sport and the Arts Foundation to buy a much-needed new minibus.

The 55 cadets, who meet in the evening and at weekends, are currently dependent on a rundown 12-seater bus for transport to various nationwide training events and competitions.

Pat Stubbs, Cadet secretary, said: "I was absolutely amazed when we heard about the grant. This is our first year of fund-raising to buy equipment and it has started us off in a big way."

Sailing and canoeing as well as electrical engineering and radio communications are just a few of the activities run by the 15 voluntary instructors for the cadets, aged 12-18.

Competitions can take the group anywhere from London to the Lake District and, at the moment, they rely on willing parents with cars or hiring additional transport when club funds allow. The new minibus will give them the chance to run more activities in the future. "We really, really need the bus," says pat. "It is very important to us because of the new regulations coming in next year about seat belts, which the old bus doesn't have."

There are 295 grants totalling £3,263,304 in the latest list of monthly grants by the Foundation, which is funded by the Pools Promoters' Association. The Foundation awards £1 million each week to sports and arts organisations throughout the UK.

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