MALVERN Triathlon Club have been awarded £5,309 in National Lottery funding.

The grant comes from Sport England for the group, who offer swim, bike and run sessions to triathletes of all abilities.

According to a Sport England survey, the Malvern Hills district saw a drop in adults playing sport in recent years but the club has seen membership numbers rocket since being founded in 2012.

Club secretary Lisa Hurley said: “Triathlon is now the UK’s fastest-growing sport.

“Inspired by recent Great Britain success in the Commonwealth Games and Olympics, more and more people want to give it a try.

“We are delighted to receive this funding, which will help our club create even more opportunities for people in Malvern to get into triathlon.”

The money has been used to buy equipment, such as turbo trainers, as well as for venue hire.

The club started the new year with free coached swim sessions for members.

Courses were also funded so the club now have Triathlon England-qualified coaches, ride and run leaders.

For anyone interested in getting involved, Malvern will hold their popular try-a-tri day on Saturday, May 9, at Malvern College sports complex.

It is an introduction to triathlon for newcomers and aims to provide novices with the skills and confidence to take their interest further.

The club will provide coaching in each discipline so those with more experience will also benefit from the day.

The event will cost £5 and entrants will need to register by calling the college on 01684-581681. For more details, go to malverntri.word press.com or find the club on Facebook.