The RM of Portage Council has announced their recipients of the former Hextall Recreation Fund.

Reeve Cam Blight says the RM and the City of Portage have been helping keep recreation alive in rural communities.

"The Hextall Grant was established to help support recreation in the rural communities. When the City and the RM of Portage decided to build the PCU Centre together, the RM was contributing substantial amounts of money toward recreation in the city of Portage la Prairie, utilized by some RM members. With this agreement the city is also contributing to some recreation in the rural communities."

Blight explains how important grant funding is for rural recreation.

"Rural recreation is very important, and it's very difficult to raise enough funds to cover the cost because it's quite expensive and largely the work is done by volunteers. We look at it in an individual application basis, it comes in every year at the same time. There's certain criteria that must be met, and we try to support it the best we can. We think it's excellent -- and can't thank -- the volunteers enough for what they do to keep these facilities going."

See a list of the recipients here.