• 30 community sports projects in the North East benefit from a £1,395,454 legacy windfall from the Inspired Facilities Olympic legacy fund
• Sport England invites more North East sports clubs to bid for the next £10 million of Lottery investment in its Inspired Facilities Programme
Great new sporting opportunities will be created at John Whitehead Park in Billingham thanks to a National Lottery award to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.
An award of £131,545 to the Sport in the Park project will help provide some fantastic new facilities for tennis, skating and BMX biking as well as football.
The project is one of 30 across the North East of England celebrating today after being offered investment from the Inspired Facilities Fund – part of the Places People Play legacy programme. All the facilities will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.
Even more local sports clubs could benefit as Sport England launched another £10 million funding round of Inspired Facilities.
Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “With just 10 days to go until the Olympics, it is fantastic to be giving sports clubs in the North East even more reasons to celebrate.
“Thanks to these investments, many thousands of people can look forward to first-class sports facilities on their doorstep.”
The investments announced today will breathe new life into tired facilities that can be unattractive to sports participants and difficult to maintain and run. Grants have also been offered to convert existing buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport and to allow local clubs to buy the facilities they use.
Responding to strong demand from sports clubs, the budget for the latest round of Inspired Facilities has been doubled – an increase made possible by an increase of £15 million to Sport England’s Olympic legacy programme thanks to strong sales of lottery tickets.
Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said: “Hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games give us an opportunity to put sport in the spotlight and encourage more people to participate. That’s exactly what Places People Play is about. It’s already having a positive impact on grassroots sport in communities up and down the country and the additional £15 million will spread that further, helping to leave a real sports legacy long after the Games.”
Other investments in the North East include:
• £50,000 will contribute to building a sustainable home for badminton in the North East. Great new opportunities are to be created for the sport of badminton in Slatyford, The new centre will offer a range of badminton opportunities along with complementary indoor sport.
• £50,000 to expand storage facilities required by the club to grow sailing at Scaling in Saltburn-on-sea. The new facility will house the increasing amount of equipment required by existing and additional members, including disabled people and other groups.
• £34, 952 to the modernisation of the facilities at Yarm Squash Club making them more appealing to new participants, particularly young people and females of all ages, and provide a safer more attractive experience for users.
• £21,690 to improved access for disabled bowls players and players with less mobility by upgrading the rink surrounds and ditch at Norton Bowling Club
Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England. We are working in partnership with the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association with the backing of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the London 2012 Inspire mark.
LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe, said: “This is a fantastic funding project that will deliver a real legacy from the London 2012 Games. It will provide a whole range of sporting opportunities for young people through improved facilities and will I hope inspire them to take up sport.”
Local MP, Alex Cunningham today visited John Whitehead Park to present a cheque to many of the North East projects benefitting from the fund. He said: “I am delighted to be here to support the funding announcement and that so many projects locally are benefiting from Sport England’s Olympic Legacy Funding”
Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Ken Dixon, said: “This is fantastic news for young people and residents who use John Whitehead Park. For several years now we have seen investment to improve leisure facilities in Billingham.
“Several local people and organisations have worked together on this project, and it’s really exciting that the grant award from Sport England will now enable us to turn those ideas into reality. It will help create more activities for our young people – the BMX/skate park will certainly be welcomed by the many young people who have been campaigning for one in Billingham.”
In addition to the £1,395,545 announced today, sports playing fields and facilities in the North East had already received £2,848,566 through Sport England’s Places People Play legacy programme. In addition, 5,293 young people in the North East have got into sport through Sportivate, 751 people from the region have been inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics to become a Sport Maker and over 5,000 have signed up to do a sporting challenge for charity through Gold Challenge.
Sport England’s Active People Survey shows that the total number of adults in the North East taking part in sport at least once a week has risen from 682,200 in 2005-06, when the Olympic bid was won, to 732,500.
