The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £135million 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.
The £50,000 award will go towards a clubhouse and a disabled unisex toilet block at Burton Mutual Angling Association’s Kingstanding Fishery at Needwood. This will allow a range of angling coaching activities to take place including juniors and disabled anglers.
Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said:
“This National Lottery investment will create a lasting sporting legacy for Burton on Trent. This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Burton on Trent. It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facility got better.”
Club secretary, John Anderson said:
“We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the facilities on offer at Kingstanding Pools to match the quality of our angling coaches. It is the cornerstone of our strategy to have an outstanding club for the 2012 Olympics legacy. Many thanks to Jane Kracke of our County Sports Partnership, Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, and Crispin Clark of Sport England for their help in securing this award.”
Andrew Griffiths, MP for Burton on Trent and Uttoxeter said:
“Fishing is a wonderful pastime that brings pleasure to a lot of people. It is fantastic that this facility will allow more young people and disabled people to discover the joys of fishing. I know a great deal of work went in to securing the funding and I congratulate everyone involved.”
Chief Executive of the Angling Trust, Mark Lloyd said:
“Many congratulations to Burton Mutual Angling Association for winning this fantastic grant. We warmly welcome the support of angling by Sport England at a local and national level. I’m sure that the new toilets and clubhouse will help grow angling participation by providing facilities that will attract the whole family. Angling has been proven to divert young people from getting into trouble, to improve health and wellbeing and to greatly benefit the local economy. There is a new round of funding coming up and the Angling Trust will be encouraging other clubs to follow the lead of Burton Mutual by applying for funds to improve their facilities.”
Julie Berry, sports co-ordinator for John Taylor High School said:
“John Taylor Academy has been delighted to forge school club links with John Anderson and Burton Mutual Angling Association this academic year. Pupils have attended the fishing club on a weekly basis throughout the summer term and really enjoyed the new experiences gained from fishing.”
Mosley School head teacher, Anne James said:
“What fantastic news! The children at the Mosley School really enjoy their fishing and the new facilities will help to spread their enjoyment to other young people and their families”
BMAA are one of hundreds of projects across England benefitting from Lottery investment through the second round of the Inspired Facilities fund. Sport England today launched a further £10million funding round to help local community sports groups to upgrade their facilities. You can find out more HERE and bids will be accepted from 23 July 2012.
Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England, 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 I will hope inspire them to take up sport.”
