Today HRH The Prince of Wales officially opened London's largest outdoor sports area and a major 'next generation' multi-sport hub in The Regent's Park. Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince visited the 90 acres of sports pitches and unveiled a plaque at the £3.3 million 'Regent's Park Hub', which will provide changing rooms, social space, meeting areas and facilities for 150,000 people every year.

The Prince, the Patron of The Royal Parks Foundation, met with local children using the pitches as well as Parks staff and representatives of the many organisations that contributed funds and support to the Regent's Park sports project, including Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England (which gave £2.75 million to the Hub and pitches) and Peter Lee, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation (which gave almost £1 million to the new pitches).

The Hub and pitches will provide a focal point for sport and physical activity in central London. Staff are already working with young people and community groups from several nearby and disadvantaged estates and the Park is currently used for community sports sessions by QPR, Arsenal Ladies and neighbouring local authority Camden; the new Hub will let these and other programmes be expanded, bringing in young people from further afield.

Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, hailed the flagship building: "We are delighted to have invested Sport England lottery funding in this fantastic multi-sports hub in Regent's Park. Serving numerous individuals, community groups, and schools, we believe the facilities will become a real focal point for sport in the capital - helping more Londoners of all ages to get active. This is key in Sport England's drive to give people of all ages opportunities to start, stay and succeed in sport."

Peter Lee, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, welcomed the formal opening of London's leading grass roots sports facility: "The Football Foundation is delighted to be able to play a part in bringing a host of new sporting opportunities to London's footballers. The Regent's Park project is an outstanding example of how sport can work in partnership to revolutionise facilities and drive up participation across the board. Hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and abilities will now have access to some of the best sporting facilities anywhere in the country."

Mark Camley, newly appointed Chief Executive of The Royal Parks said: "This is an important day for The Royal Parks, for surrounding local communities and for London as a whole. It is wonderful that Their Royal Highnesses were able to join us and express their pleasure with the project. Everyone has worked hard to make the Regent's Park Hub a reality and now it will be a base for Londoners to exercise in the great outdoors."

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Notes to the Editor:

The Hub
Most of the Hub is underground, letting it merge into the Grade I listed landscape and giving a superb 360 panoramic view over the sports pitches and across the Park. It has space for up to 290 people with 20 fully equipped changing rooms, including facilities for referees and those with disabilities. There are areas for education and vocational training, space for quieter sports such as yoga and tai chi, and a community club room. The Hub is designed by David Morley Architects, who also created several pioneering buildings at Lord's Cricket Ground. The Active England Fund, a joint funding initiative between The Big Lottery Fund and Sport England, granted £2 million towards the building.

The Pitches
Until their reinstatement, the fifty sports pitches in Regent's Park were built on bomb rubble from the Blitz, some of which is over 10 feet in depth. This led to severe drainage and maintenance issues, which have now been addressed. The sports pitches were restored at a cost of £2 million. Major financial support for this has come from the Football Foundation (£908,000) and Sport England (£750,000), along with the London Marathon Charitable Trust (£100,000), Sportsmatch and Nike.

Sport England
Sport England invests lottery and DCMS funds into sport. Its aim is to encourage people of all ages to start, stay and succeed in sport at every level and make England the most active and successful sporting nation. Sport England has invested more than £2bn of lottery funds into sport across England and more than £300 million from the Exchequer.

Active England
Active England is a joint Sport England and Big Lottery Fund programme that encourages innovative community sports projects all over the country. The £108 million programme will see the completion of almost 300 state-of-the art sport and activity projects across the country by the end of December 2005, supporting the nation's commitment to increasing grassroots participation in sport and physical activity and the 2012 London Olympic Bid.

Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country. Funded by the Premier League, the Football Association, Sport England and the Government. The Foundation is the nation's largest sports charity, having already funded 1000 projects worth almost £300 million.