WHEN Bob Clark became the British Olympic Weightlifting Champion at bantamweight in 1960, he couldn't afford to actually go to the Olympics.

In those days, there was little support for amateur sportsmen in this country to fulfil dreams of competing at international level.

And it was this experience which helped shape Clark's altruistic attitude toward helping out his town football team, Padiham.

The Storks, who play at the lowest level of the non-League pyramid in the North West Counties second division, struggle financially from week to week as do most clubs at that level.

But with the help of local supporters like Clark, they are in a much better position financially than they might have been.

Clark, a self-employed 'industrial dismantler' working in the scrap metal business, was last week voted onto the committee at Padiham and has now taken the post of Commercial Manager.

But his involvement at the club goes much further back than that.

"I have been involved all my life. As a young man I played football - but only a couple of times for Padiham - and had some success as a weightlifter. But there was no way we could have afforded to go to the Olympics."

His experience convinced him that young people should have every opportunity to pursue their hobbies and interests.

"I believe that any one person who gets interested in sport or any activity such as music or anything should have that encouraged.

"It alleviates drug problems and gives them something to do.

"It was another era back then, we didn't get supported but the club hopes to get involved with other groups in the town and support each other.

"We hope to bring the cricket club into it as well."

Just last week, Clark took the post of Commercial Manager after years of fund-raising at the club - virtually the whole of one side of the ground is now covered with advertising hoardings Clark has secured through his business contacts - and he now has a 'proper' title.

"Alan Smith (the club secretary) requested more help at the club so I have taken a new post as Commercial Manager on a voluntary basis.

"Most of the sponsor boards along the side of the ground have come through me.

"My job won't be much different to what I was doing before but when you are asking people for money they are sometimes more willing when you have an official title!

"Commercial manager might be a bit pompous because I was just 'fund-raiser' before but I have been quite successful, raising thousands of pounds."

Like many non-League clubs, Padiham suffer from having too few people willing to take a few hours a week out to help the club.

"What I noticed at the club was that there were too few people doing far too much," said Clark.

"I think there are plenty of people who would like to get involved given the opportunity.

"Everyone is welcome even if it is only one hour a week or even if it is just ideas to raise money."

And with the help of the town council, the club is hoping to establish itself as indispensable to the local community.

A new clubhouse was built in 1999 with changing rooms, a gym and a function room for 100 people.

"Padiham is trying to regain its own identity via the parish council and it is important to support the football club not just for the future of the club but for the future of the youth clubs and church groups who use the club.

"Many people come into the clubhouse and think it is too small but they don't understand that there is double the space it looks like because of everything downstairs. I have been involved at Padiham since we were at Brentwood Park and then we moved to the Arbories in the 1940s.

"The cost of running the club used to be very small but now it is tens of thousands of pounds a year."

Clark, who is 60 and was born in Padiham, worked as a miner at Hapton Valley until its closure in 1982.

His first official function as Commercial Manager will be on Sunday, when Alan Curtis and other artists perform at the clubhouse from 3pm till 6pm.

"I am paying for the artists and all the money will go to the club," said Clark.

"These are just some things we can do to raise money.

"Padiham has been a town that has been so far down and now via the new council people are trying to improve it. Padiham is a town in the balance of success or decline.

"I believe anything, be it sport or any other event related to Padiham, can only help, whether it is a town thing or a football thing."

It might not help anybody go to the Olympics, but it's a start.