Sport England awards almost £700,000 to sports projects across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Sports projects across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been awarded £668,138 from Sport England's £16.6 million Inspired Facilities Olympic legacy fund to help them improve and refurbish local sports facilities.

Inspired Facilities aims to increase access to sport locally by refurbishing existing sports facilities or converting buildings so that they are suitable for physical activity. The work can cover a number of different areas including building modernisation, outdoor sports lighting, outdoor sports surfaces, community club buildings and sports equipment.

Fourteen projects in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been awarded money to help them improve their facilities and subsequently offer the public more opportunities to become involved in sport.

Park Community School in Havant was awarded the largest fund of money in Hampshire, receiving £98,000 towards the development of a Synthetic Turf Pitch at the school to replace a grass pitch currently in place. The £528,000 project will provide a quality playing surface for pupils and the local community.

Richard Millard, Chair of Sport Hampshire & IOW Advisory Board (SHIOW), said: "This investment from Sport England will increase and improve sports facilities where people can participate. High quality, local, sports facilities are crucial to encourage people to take part in sport and physical activity. The number of projects supported within the county is a fantastic reflection of the commitment of partners and volunteers who give so much of their time to increase participation opportunities for people in their communities."

Sport England's Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said: "We have had such a fantastic response from sports clubs to Inspired Facilities that we've reached our target of making 1,000 grants a year early. Demand remains strong so will offer a further £20 million of funding over the next 15 months."

Other projects funded across the county include:

Seagrove Pavilion on the Isle of Wight - £50,000

Havant Rifle & Pistol Club to enlarge and upgrade their facilities - £50,000

Ropley Lawn Tennis Club to resurface courts, replace fencing and lighting - £34,000

Shanklin Sandown Rowing Club to create a new Boathouse - £50,000

BTC Football Club in Southampton to convert tennis courts into pitches, improve toilets and car parking - £50,000

New Milton & District Rugby Football Club to replace existing floodlights - £26,938

Lymington Town Sailing Club to replace Boat Storage Shed and workshop - £50,000

Avon Tyrrell Boathouse in the New Forest to replace current equipment store with changing rooms, showers and toilets - £50,000

Brighstone Sports Pavilion on the Isle of Wight to refurbish existing Pavilion - £31,201

Cowes Corinthiam Yacht Club to upgrade disabled facilities - £49,999

Hambledon Parish Council to construct a single Tennis Court - £28,000

St Joseph's School in Aldershot to construct a 3G, floodlit football pitch and cricket nets - £50,000

Southampton Sailing Club to refurbish and extend current toilets and changing area - £50,000

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