Apollo Rockets shoot for Lidl success

The Apollo Rockets, who were founded in September last year, were selected by Lidl to receive funding through its ‘Community Works’ campaign.

Lidl launched the campaign in June and received over 2,000 nominations for community groups and projects from right across the province, which were then visited by the Lidl community crew.

“It’s a great achievement for the Apollo Rockets to win the Lidl Community Works award,” said vice-chairman of Apollo Cycling Team, Dylan Lyness. “We run Rockets every Saturday and Wednesday - all on a voluntary basis.

“We don’t charge the children and we have a great team of dedicated leaders who give up their time, week after week, to coach children skills that will help them enjoy their cycling.”

Lidl’s Community Works awards follows on from the company’s ‘Lidl Surprises’ campaign, which ran in 2014 and saw Lidl deliver random acts of kindness to community groups across Northern Ireland. This year’s campaign has been even bigger, with Lidl investing over £200,000 across the country.

“It was Debbie Boyd - one of the parents - who brought the Lidl idea to us,” explained Dylan. “We all thought it was a great idea, so we applied. The award will provide us with much needed equipment and training to help us develop the skills of our Rockets.”

Famous faces such as international rugby player, Rory Best, and TV presenter, Zoe Salmon, joined the judging panel and were responsible for narrowing the 2,000 applicants down to the final 32.

“This campaign has opened our eyes to the hundred of fantastic groups working tirelessly in our communities, sometimes with very little support,” commented Glen Cinnamon, Regional Director at Lidl NI. “This is our way of giving something back.”

After a visit from the Lidl team, the Rockets were asked to star in one of Lidl’s upcoming television advertisements, too - as the team were so impressed by the club and their base at Lurgan Park.

“It was a real bonus to hear that we will star in one of Lidl’s TV adverts!” said Dylan. “It’s great recognition for the hard work everyone puts in at Rockets.”

To find out more about the Rockets, visit www.apolloct.com