Money was tutu tight to mention for one majorette group in Armley but now the mini-baton twirlers are in the pink again.
It's all thanks to the Yorkshire Evening Post's Community Cash Giveaway in conjunction with Leeds Community Foundation.
Just six months ago, the Armley-based Leeds All Stars group was feeling the pinch more than most.
* CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE YEP'S COMMUNITY CASH GIVEAWAY.Along with two other Leeds majorette troupes, they had been swindled
out of thousands of pounds by a former trainer.
The west Leeds group lost £5,000 in the 'Fraud of the Dance'
controversy which featured in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Treasurer and secretary Sarah Clarke said the group's £500 grant from our 2008 giveaway had been a ray of light.
The cash has now been used to buy new costumes – pink tutus attached to shorts – for their 'baby' section.
The novice majorettes are as young as three and are led by an eight-year-old 'veteran'.
"There are 10 of them and they look really cute," Sarah said. "They look stunning when they are all dressed up!.
"The Community Cash Giveaway was definitely important for us. We had been fleeced out of £5,000.
"Money has been tight , and that made this grant very important.
"The Community Cash Giveaway was very helpful. I'm sure we will apply again as our seniors need new leotards and batons. There's always something."
The Leeds All Stars Majorettes were among a record 160 groups and clubs who applied for a share of our bumper giveaway in 2008.
For 2009, the fourth year of the campaign, we've again got £50,000 to hand out, thanks to the Leeds Community Foundation and the Grassroots Grants Scheme.
It's a chance for your hardworking group, club, charity or organisation to dip into our seasonal treasure chest. Groups can apply for up to £900 of one-off funding for anything from a new shed to a day trip to Blackpool.
To enter our 2009 Community Cash Giveaway, you must represent a voluntary group with a constitution or set of rules. Individuals and schools are not eligible.
Your group must have been active for at least 12 months and your average group income must have been under £30,000 a year for the past three years.
In addition, you cannot already have received a grant of more than £4,000 from the Grassroots Grants scheme in Leeds.
