Lottery cash for lawyers' gym trips

Exclusive by Roland Hancock

April 21, 2006

| Submit Comments | Comments (31) | Previous | Next

LOTTERY cash is being used to fund gym membership for lawyers, the M.E.N. can reveal.

A legal firm in Manchester has been awarded a é45,000 grant to send staff to an upmarket city centre health club to help boost their fitness.

Halliwells law firm is one of a number of high-profile businesses in the region to take advantage of lottery-funded handouts aimed at improving the health of office staff.

Another é15,000 has been awarded to ITV Granada to help build a gym which will be free to all staff - including top-earning Coronation Street stars.

And Manchester United, which owns state-of-the-art training facilities for its millionaire players, will be given é30,000 over three years to fund yoga lessons and lunchtime fitness sessions for staff.

The lottery grants were condemned by Withington MP John Leech, who said the cash should go to those who can't afford gym membership.

War veterans who were refused a lottery grant to fund a 2003 memorial journey to Monte Cassino also criticised the way funds were being allocated.

The lottery cash was allocated to the government body Sport England as part of a é1.2m drive to improve the fitness of office staff.

Companies and organisations were invited to submit bids for funding in March last year and Sport England has now revealed which firms has been awarded grants.

Halliwells, which employs 200 legal staff, many earning over é50,000-a-year, was allocated a total of é45,000 to pay staff gym membership fees at L.A. Fitness.

Funds

The firm was given the lottery grant on the condition that it is matched with é45,000 of the company's own funds towards the fitness drive. Ian Austin, senior partner at Halliwells, said: éWe have a range of people working for us for whom gym membership would be beyond their means.é

ITV Granada is putting in é40,000 of its own money into the new fitness facilities, as well as the grant. Spokeswoman Vicki Matthews said: éIf we reduce sick days we will reduce days off, which will be good for the economy.é

United will also be matching their grant in the fitness drive. This is all about getting staff in sedentary jobs active.é

MP Mr Leech said: "This is not a good way to spend lottery money. If there was an all party parliamentary group asking for free gym membership there would be an uproar.é

John Clarke, a war hero from Chorlton whose application for funding to send veterans to Monte Cassino. Ités a very poor example of how to spend peoplesé moneyé

John Hannen, at the Council for Voluntary Service in Manchester said: éWhat these people have is the money to put together a professional-looking application.é

A spokesman for Sport England said: éWe have funded a wide range of organisations and projects, like Primary Care Trusts and other institutions.é

Good use of lottery money? Have your say below.

| Submit Comments | Comments (31) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

Barb, Sussex (21/04/2006 at 08:47)

I used to have the odd flutter on the Lottery, till I read about all the daft causes it supports. I'm waiting for the new lottery, called 'monday' to start its operations. I'll have my odd flutter on that one instead.

simon, manchester (21/04/2006 at 08:50)

i think it's time to hand the lottery over to another company, cos this lot are incompetent in dispersing cash to good causes. Lawers getting fundings to send them to a gym, the money their on they can well afford it them selves.

Alex Ramsay, Withington, Manchester (21/04/2006 at 09:04)

I think this is disgusting!

'arry, Arbroath (21/04/2006 at 09:04)

...and what is the lottery fund going to do to help pensioners and the unemployed to achieve the same objectives in similar environments? Life never changes: those who have get more while those who have not get sod all!

Andy, Wythenshawe (21/04/2006 at 09:34)

If this report is true, then its an absolute scandal.
Time for the MEN to organise a boycott of the lottery till they get their act together.

mandy, stretford (21/04/2006 at 11:17)

let us have one at work, we work for the nhs and are all fat.

Penelope, Withington, Manchester (21/04/2006 at 11:18)

The money would be far better going towards free gym, swimming and other sporting activities for all the children and the youth in the country rather than to adults who can afford it by their own means.

Charles, Alderley Edge (21/04/2006 at 12:32)

Don't blame the lottery company. It's this government who decides where the money goes.

Rosaleee's Mum, Cheshire (21/04/2006 at 13:57)

Put some money into school gyms for better equipment, or more local swim pools so that fitness can be started at an earlier age. Have money available so that school gym facilities can be used at night time and weekends Spend more money on the small local parks equipment.

Anne-Marie, Oldham (21/04/2006 at 15:34)

I think this is absolutly scandalous, I thought lottery money allocations was meant for good causes.
I think there are better causes where these amounts of money would have benefited much more worth while and needy causes of our communities.
I cant afford to visit my local gym.
Disgusted ! and outraged !

Mike, city centre Manchester (21/04/2006 at 16:48)

Some people are quite happy being unfit and might be horrified at the thought their employer is acting like the games teacher at school.
Presumably they got their jobs on ability not how they looked.

Karlos, Prestwich (21/04/2006 at 17:33)

You're all missing the point.

what NEEDS to happen is the debate about whether to have the lottery at all.

How better/worse off are we really since it started?

Has the lottery achieved the original goals set out at it's inception?

And so on and so forth.

What you are seeing is not the root of the problem but one solitary symptom.

Then look at the culture of gambling and false hope it has promoted - what is the true cost of that (i.e. socially, economically/financially, emotionally)?

Look at how it diverts the responsibility of both local and national government in the (fair) distribution of resources within the nation.

I feel that if these and other relevant issues were addressed then we would see that we are all better off without the lottery as a whole.

Now, where's my scratchcard gone....! :)

Anon, Anon (21/04/2006 at 17:55)

Playing the lottery to pay for lawyers' gym membership - do I look stupid?

Arthur Hapgood, N.Wales (21/04/2006 at 18:31)

Another excellent reason for ditching the National Lottery in favour of its new competitor

simon, manchester (21/04/2006 at 18:35)

it just gets worse now Manchester united have been given 30 grand to send their staff to the gym, what the hell is going on at lottery hq, there is some greasing of palms going on here, good causes like the battle of britan memoral was turned down because it wasnt part of our heretage it was only one of the most important events for this country in the last century.

John, Manchester (21/04/2006 at 19:05)

Disgusting, there's a local boys club near me that incorporates a boxing & football club with 100's of boys & girls getting involved in sport. The dressing rooms/Gymnasium are a pre war prefab that leaks when it rains and the building is falling down around them. The football field has no proper drainage and is shared with the local dog owning population. They are currently trying to raise money for new facilities but even if it cost as little as half a million for a brand new building how could they possibly raise 50% of that short of picking the right six numbers?

Peter, Stockport (21/04/2006 at 20:22)

I am almost speechless. What a waste of money and a big kick in the teeth to the many good causes who have been unsuccessful with their applications to the National Lottery. This is giving out the message that keeping fit costs large sums of money when in reality it costs nothing. We are used to a certain football club ripping off hard working families with ever-rising admission prices and replica kit sales but for them, along with highly paid solicitors and a television company holding out the begging bowl beggar's belief. It would be nice to have a report in 12 months time on how much fitter the staff are at these organisations. Perhaps I will watch Coronation Street with renewed interest. Can I expect to see Janice Battersby doing cartwheels down the Street?

Chris, Manchester (21/04/2006 at 20:37)

Disgusting. Tax the poor, feed the rich.

dave, ashton on mersey (21/04/2006 at 21:59)

rich get rich, poor get poorer. what an absolute disgrace.

Joe Public, Manchester (21/04/2006 at 22:17)

Right then I'm applying for lottery cash so that I can pay for a peerage. Excuse me Police at the door!!

Debbie, Cheshire (21/04/2006 at 22:31)

I think this is scandalous. There are far far needier causes than subsidising people who earn good money and probably already have their own gym membership. I only hope that those who are benefiting from this feel ashamed! Is the fact that the law firm have to match the contribution enough to clear their conscience - they probably right it off against taxes!!!

Patrick Sudlow, Hulme (21/04/2006 at 23:18)

One of the reasons I have never bought a lottery ticket is the fact money always seem to go to money whilst those most desperate for the money go without.

ex mancunian, sydney australia (21/04/2006 at 23:56)

'arry of Arbroath has summed it up perfectly.
The rich get richer & everyone else gets 'sod all'.
But lawyers, come on be real. What the heck do they contribute to society except double talk often in 'double dutch.

Fran, Mnachester (22/04/2006 at 00:33)

I think Mr Glaiser should return the ??30,000 grant that Manchester United obtained as part of the good causes programme of the national Lottery. It is not only embarrasing to the great tradition of this fantastic club, it is immoral.

markyboy, manchester (22/04/2006 at 09:46)

this latest decision by camelot/sport england does not surprise me in the least.
those poor little dears at man u & corrie cant afford to go to the gym on thousands a week in wages, my heart bleeds for them.
the sooner camelot gets the boot the better, if my memeory serves me right virgin very nearly got the franchise last time, until branson publicly withdrew his support for phony & co., then the decision changed overnight.
so to the company & sponsors of the new lottery franchise tell phony you will back him come what mat may and you will get the franchise.
cynical ploy it maybe, but look at phony's past record, need i say anymore.

()

Report

News