Helleland is a village and parish in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Perhaps not hugely well known to those outside the country. However, its large deposits of EU Critical Raw Materials – vanadium, titanium and phosphate – may well put it more ‘on the map’ in the future.
As we continue our investigations into these minerals in the area, local Norwegians have been supportive of our endeavours, and wherever possible, we have been using local suppliers. There is already an understanding that these minerals may hold significant economic importance to the country in the future. Jobs, of course, but also potentially, an entirely new industry – as its oil and gas sector diminishes. Along this journey, we want to give back to local communties as we carry out our work – as they, in turn, are supporting us.
Our latest pledge, therefore, has been to become a sponsor of Helleland Sports – a club with about 170 members. Football, dancing and gymnastics are among the sports it offers children and teenagers, as well as gym membership for adults and family running competitions.
Norge Mining’s initial donation has gone towards buying defibrilators for the club and first aid courses for board members and coaches. It’s also been used to buy football equipment for the young members.
With any further funds in the future, we may be able to fulfill our dream of building a multi- purpose hall for sports activities – otherwise difficult for such a small team such as Helleland to achieve,” says Johnny Skagen, Deputy Chairman of Helleland IL. „We believe that this hall will provide a more attractive offer to inhabitants of Helleland, and lead to more members for the sports team.”
“When Helleland Sports got in touch with us, asking if we’d like to become their sponsors, we were very happy to do so,” says Monika Øksnes, Norge Mining’s Chief Operating Officer. “As well as using local suppliers, we want to give back to and support the communities close to where we are operating. Helleland Sports is near our main site in Eigersund municipality where we are investigating EU Critical Raw Materials. We know all organisations like this have suffered during the pandemic – not just in Norway, but across the world – with sporting activities and fixtures cancelled for many months at a time. If Norge Mining’s contribution can help in a small way to get people back to sports and fitness and facilitate a return to some sort of normality, then we are pleased to help.”
For the club, exciting times await, following long periods of closure. The government has recently given permission for all activities for all age groups to take place once more – to the delight of young people and families in the area.
