The Woodridge Fire Fighters Association received a gift of more than $1,600 towards construction of its new fire hall.

The money came from the Southeast ATV Association. President Gary Gebhardt says it was generated through their third annual fundraiser.

"We were approached by the firemen in Woodridge that are building a new fire hall if we could help them with funding," says Gebhardt. "So we had decided as a board that we would donate fifty per cent of our funds towards the fire hall."

Gebhardt says they received a lot of support from local businesses and at the end of the night they more than doubled the funds generated from last year's social.

Gebhardt notes the other fifty per cent will be used to help finance their ATV awareness done each May. It will also be used to help organize trails in the RM of Piney. Gebhardt says unlike ATV Manitoba, their Association does not receive provincial funding. He adds they're working with local government as it's quite costly to run trails once they're groomed and signed.

The President notes they're trying to build tourism in the area. "So that trail riders that come out riding, that have never ridden in the area could possibly have a designated trail that have fines posted so they're not getting lost, so they know where they're supposed to be riding," says Gebhardt. "But it's all in the works, so the money has been put aside for that so that when it does happen we have the money for it." He notes a little over two thousand dollars has now been set aside.

Gebhardt says last fall's heavy snowfall knocked down a lot of trees which blocked many of the trails and so this summer the club went out and opened up quite a few miles worth of trails.

Gebhardt says the fundraising social went just as planned and he says the Woodridge Fire Fighters Association was very grateful.