The Heath Golf Club receives €5,000 award under Texaco Support for Sport initiative

THE Heath Golf Club has been chosen winners of the Laois County award in this year’s Texaco Support for Sport initiative. €5,000 has been presented to the club to purchase additional equipment and improve facilities for members which now top 580 players, aged from 8 to over 80, with 103 of these being junior members.

Now in its fifth year, the Texaco Support for Sport initiative – organised by Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, sees a fund of €130,000 set aside annually for allocation in equal amounts of €5,000 to successful applicants chosen on a county-by-county basis. Previous Laois winners were Laois Cricket Club (2021), Portlaoise Panthers Basketball Club (2022), Park/Ratheniska GAA Club (2023) and Lions AFC of Durrow (2024).

Overseeing the judging process was Texaco Support for Sport ambassador, former Irish rugby international and well-known broadcaster, Donncha O’Callaghan. Commenting, he said: “As adjudicator – and from my knowledge of sport gained at junior, senior and international level – the most reassuring aspect of the Texaco Support for Sport initiative is that it gives clubs rare access to funds which are not linked to popularity, membership size or success.” Describing the Laois club as ‘a deserved recipient’, he went on to add: “Congratulations to all at The Heath Golf Club. Its success in the Texaco initiative shows how focused the Club is on improving facilities for its members and building on its contribution to community life. Hopefully we will see the next Leona Maguire or Shane Lowry progressing from Laois.” Congratulating the county winners on the immense contribution that they make to the heart of community life in Ireland, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited was particularly praiseworthy of the unstinting work of club officials and volunteers, and noted that “since its inception, we are proud to have distributed almost €650,000 to a variety of more than 125 sports clubs under the Texaco Support for Sport initiative”.