The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics,
Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, today joined Sport England in
Worcester for the announcement of two major sporting legacy
investments in the West Midlands.
£3 million of National Lottery funding from
Sport England’s Iconic Facilities fund will help bring
state-of-the-art community sports facilities to Worcester and
Telford.
Iconic Facilities is part of the £135
million Places People Play legacy programme that is
bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into
communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives
funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the
link to the Games.
£1.5 million has been awarded to the
University of Worcester to transform a derelict site into the
Worcester Community Sports Arena, which will
offer:
- A new 12-court sports hall that will be a thriving sports hub
for students, the local community and sports governing bodies
- A welcoming home for local sports clubs in basketball, netball,
badminton, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing and blind
football
- A centre of excellence for disability sport
Dawley Sports and Learning
Community, will also receive £1.5 million to help bring to
life Telford and Wrekin Council’s vision for:
- A new eight-court sports hall, health and fitness suite and
national standard BMX outdoor track
- A new artificial grass pitch and high-quality grass sports
pitches
- A major regional base for cycling, rugby league and table
tennis.
- Co-location of sport with education and health services and
improved school and club links.
Jennie Price, Sport England Chief Executive,
said:
“From sporting beginners to experts, everyone
in the Telford and Worcester areas can now look forward to playing
sport in world-class facilities. This is an inspirational legacy
that will improve lives in these communities for generations after
the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Speaking on a visit to the site of the
Worcester Community Sports Arena as part of a nationwide ‘2012
tour’, Jeremy Hunt said:
“This £3 million investment will transform
community sport in Worcester and Telford, helping to create a
lasting sporting legacy from London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Sport England’s Places People Play programme is a
fantastic programme, bringing the magic of a home Olympic Games
into communities across the country.”
Professor David Green, Vice Chancellor and
Chief Executive, University of Worcester, said:
“The Worcester Arena will provide outstanding
new opportunities to engage in sport. Inclusive by design, we
hope it will become ‘home from home’ for many athletes with a
mobility impairment. We are delighted that Sport England has
chosen to make this coveted £1.5 million iconic facilities award to
the Worcester Arena. The University will ensure that this
funding and facility is imaginatively used to promote sport,
inclusion and education.”
Councillor Arnold England, Telford &
Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing,
said:
“I am delighted at the news that Telford &
Wrekin Council will be receiving this money and it is a real boost
for our plans for the Dawley Learning Community. It will mean that
we can create fabulous sporting facilities at the new site for use
by both school pupils and the local community.”
Sport England is currently inviting bids to
the second £10 million funding round of Iconic Facilities,
which will support multi-sport facilities that help increase
participation and deliver a sustainable sporting legacy beyond
2012.
Places People Play is being delivered
by Sport England. We are working in partnership with the British
Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association
(BPA) 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.”
British Paralympic Association CEO Tim
Hollingsworth said: “We hope that lots of people will be inspired
to take up sport by ParalympicsGB’s performance next year.
Facilities such as these will be a vital way of meeting that
demand.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Construction work for both projects will get
underway in January 2012.
Iconic
Facilities
Iconic Facilities is part of the
Places People Play legacy programme. At least £30 million
of Lottery funding will be invested through Iconic
Facilities. The second of three rounds of Iconic
Facilities opened to applications on 10 October 2011 and will
be accepted via Sport England’s website until 5pm, 19 December
2011. Applicants interested in the fund can apply for grants
between £250,000 and £3 million; successful bidders will have
projects that are regionally significant for at least two sports
and demonstrate long-term financial viability. For more details,
visit www.sportengland.org/funding
Sport England
Sport England is focused on the delivery of a
mass participation legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. We invest National Lottery and Exchequer funding in
organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation
in grassroots sport and create opportunities for people to excel at
their chosen sport.
For more information please contact the press
office: Peter Dickinson on 020 7273 1800 or Amy Wright on 020 7273
1593.