Events in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region continue to grow and thrive with $20,000 in funding recently awarded to local event organisers through council's event sponsorship program.
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Organisers from the Elephant Trail Race, A Gala Night at the Ballet, Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association Bodyboarding Team Challenge, and the Mountain Bike Australia Aussie Endurance 24hr Solo Race will each receive $5,000 to assist in the promotion of their events, to attract new audiences from outside the region.
Acting director, Holly McBride said council is committed to assisting locally grown events get off the ground, and to seeing them grow and prosper.
"Events bring so much to our region, including tourism dollars, employment and development opportunities, and assist in creating a vibrant community," said Ms McBride.
"It's great to have seen many events be successful through previous grant funding, including the Port Running Festival, Big Band Blast, Slice of Haven, and Beach to Brother Running Festival."
One of the grant recipients, Kerry Williams from the Elephant Trail Race is excited about the potential growth of their event.
"Trail running is a hugely popular sport now, and the Elephant Trail Race is one of only two 100km races in Australia which are qualifiers for the international Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB)," Ms Williams said.
"This year, we are also hosting the NSW Trail and Ultra Running Championships, which is expected to bring at least 700 visitors to our region, plus a strong local contingent.
"Council's ongoing sponsorship and support has been an important part of our success to date, and the grant allows us to allocate an additional $5,000 to marketing activities."
The event sponsorship program is open to both start up and existing events, and offers two application rounds each financial year.
The next round of funding will allocate another $20,000 to local events and opens in early 2020.
