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01 Mar 2004 - 01 Jun 2005 Active England: £2 Million Triumph For Regent's Park Sports The Royal Parks are delighted that the Active England Fund has granted £2 million towards the construction of a new 'Multi-sport Hub' in Regent's Park. This landmark building will provide new sport-related facilities and a community space for surrounding neighbourhoods, which include some of the most disadvantaged areas of London. Regent's Park is central London's largest open air sports area and will play a key role in the 2012 Olympic bid, hosting softball and baseball contests. The total cost of the new building, which will be completed by the end of March 2005, will be £3.3 million; the remaining £1.3 million will be raised by The Royal Parks and its new charity, the Royal Parks Foundation. The sporting facilities in the Park are very popular with local communities, nearby schools and youth teams from Westminster and Camden, as well as office teams and people just looking for a bit of a kick around. William Weston, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks said, 'Sport is crucial to the health of the nation and many schools and communities simply cannot participate because they don't have any facilities. The grant from the Active England Fund will help us provide more opportunities for local schools, as well as amateur and professional clubs, groups and individuals.' Peter B Ellwood CBE, Chairman of ICI said, in his capacity of Chairman of The Royal Parks Foundation, 'This is a significant step on the road to getting this great building up and serving the community. There is no finer way in which the Foundation could begin its fund raising than by helping the hundreds of thousands of Londoners who use Regent's Parks sports facilities every year.' David Morley is the architect for this project. He has already designed several pioneering buildings at Lord's cricket ground, including the Nursery Pavilion. His design for the new Regent's Park Hub creates a space that will accommodate up to 290 people, with 20 fully equipped and adaptable changing rooms, including facilities for referees, individuals and those with disabilities. Equally importantly, there will be areas for education and vocational training, space for quieter sports such as yoga and tai chi, and a community club room/social area. The Hub will merge cleverly into the listed landscape and will give a superb 360' panoramic view overlooking the nearby sports pitches and across the Park. The innovative design includes a number of energy-saving features to minimise the impact on the environment. The building is the second phase of work on the popular sports facilities in the Park. The first phase was the renewal and repair of the sports pitches which will be completed in Autumn this year. These pitches, for football, cricket, rugby & hockey, were built on bomb rubble from the Blitz, some of which is over 10 feet in depth. This caused waterlogging in winter and hard surfaces in summer, both significant problems, especially when combined with heavy demand by local schools, community groups and professional clubs such as QPR & Arsenal. Since 2002, The Royal Parks have raised significant funds for the work in Regent's Park; more than £2 million was generated in over 12 months to rejuvenate the pitches and employ a new Community Sports Officer. Sport England gave over £500,000 towards this total, the Football Foundation £908,000. Other donors giving their support include the London Marathon Charitable Trust, Sportsmatch and Nike. Regent's Park is a major outdoor leisure venue in Central London, with over 150,000 sport users, from all ages, genders and ethnic groups. The Royal Parks have been increasingly working with inner city schools and community groups surrounding the Park. As a result, many more of them are making the most of the parkland on their doorstep. This summer will see an even bigger sports programme, open to all young people in the neighbouring boroughs. Source: The Royal Parks For further information contact: The Royal Parks Press Office T: 020 7298 2128 E: press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: Active England Active England is a jointly funded programme between the New Opportunities Fund and Sport England. It supports projects which demonstrate innovative and creative approaches to increasing people's physical activity levels and sports participation. The programme not only focuses on people already participating in a healthy lifestyle, but also on sections of society that do not currently take part. Sport in the Park Regent's Park is the largest grassed area for sports in central London; its 99 acres dedicated to sport provide unrivalled opportunities for recreation and play. Its long association with sport can be traced to the 19th Century - cricket was first played in the Park in 1870 and the Royal Toxophilite Society (Archery) also used the Park as its base between 1832 to 1922. Since then sports activities have flourished, in particular Football and Cricket whose popularity has grown significantly. Community benefits Regent's Park makes a vital contribution to the community by providing facilities both for formal sports, as well as for more informal leisure and recreational pursuits - there are no other local authority football or rugby pitches within a mile of the Park and only a handful of other venues within two miles where grass pitches are for hire. It is popular with a range of users including local schools, amateur and professional clubs, groups and individuals. The Royal Parks London's eight Royal Parks are conserved and managed by The Royal Parks. Millions of Londoners and tourists visit the Parks for free each year and their 5,000 acres of carefully conserved historic parkland provide unparalleled opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and healthy living in the heart of the capital. The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park (with the Longford River), Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park (with Primrose Hill), Richmond Park and St James's Park. The Royal Parks Foundation The Royal Parks Foundation, which was registered as a charity in May 2003, brings together a group of individuals and supporters who share a passion for the Parks and a vision for their future. Two key objectives for the coming year are to raise appreciation of the value of the Parks and the contribution they make to the quality of life in London; and to generate significant extra funds to help support and protect the Parks for future generations to enjoy. |
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