Sand from Olympic venue donated to London facilities

The beach is staying in London.  Thousands of Londoners will enjoy the legacy of the Beach Volleyball at the London 2012 Games, with the sand being donated to venues across the capital that will run community volleyball sessions.

The project has been made possible by almost half a million pounds of funding from Sport England and LOCOG’s decision to donate over 4,000 tonnes of sand used at Horse Guards Parade and St James’ Park.

It will raise interest and participation in beach volleyball as part of Volleyball England’s grassroots Go Spike campaign, creating more opportunities to try volleyball and beach volleyball by running free ‘come and try’ taster sessions.

Communities from Brentwood Leisure Centre in Essex, Samuel Montagu Youth Centre in Greenwich, Loxford Park in Redbridge, Verulamium Park in St Albans, Wimbledon Park in Merton and Barn Elms Sport Centre in Wandsworth have been chosen to be new homes for the sand, creating inspirational facilities.

Charles Johnston, Property Director at Sport England, says: “Thousands of Londoners will be able to discover the fun of playing beach volleyball in their local community thanks to this great project. The Olympics will put sports like volleyball in the spotlight as never before so it’s important we make the most of the opportunity to encourage more people to get involved. What could be better than using the actual sand from Horse Guards to connect people to the sport they’ve seen on TV. This is the result of a strong partnership between LOCOG, Sport England, and Volleyball England and we are delighted to support the scheme with National Lottery funding.”

Debbie Jevans, LOCOG Director of Sport, says: “Legacy is a hugely important part of the London 2012 Games and was a major part of our bid. Being able to provide the sand used at the iconic Horse Guards Parade Beach Volleyball venue and training courts in St James’ Park to six venues is a fantastic way to demonstrate this and promote the sport to a new generation.”

Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney represented Team GB in the women’s competition and Steve Grotowski and John Garcia-Thompson in the men’s event, with their efforts creating interest for a new fan base.

Lisa Wainwright, Chief Executive of Volleyball England, adds:  “We are hoping that the buzz around the London 2012 Olympic Games will inspire more people to try out beach volleyball as a fun and exciting new sport, so it’s important that we provide accessible facilities to encourage more regular spectators and players.  This project will help to create a legacy for volleyball and encourage people to adopt healthier, more active lifestyles, creating a sporting habit for life.”