Just one week ahead of the 2010 Winter
Olympics, Sport England and Snowsport England have revealed the ten
ski facilities and clubs that will be at the heart of their drive
to get more people on the slopes throughout England.
Snowsport England, the national governing body
for snow sports, is receiving £985,000 of Government and National
Lottery funding to get more people skiing and snowboarding in high
quality environments. Some of the funding will also be used to
helped talented athletes move closer to their dreams of competing
in the Winter Olympics.
In particular, Snowsport England is:
- Working with the charity Snow-Camp, to give more
disadvantaged youngsters the chance to try snow sports, by helping
them expand into new inner city areas and introduce participants to
established ski clubs
- Working with universities to tap in the keen
student market
- Expanding its work to offer more
opportunities to snowboarders
- Employing dedicated staff to develop snow
sports across England
- Developing a clear route for talented
school-aged skiers to progress including new competitions and
leagues.
The funding and work is being focused on ten
priority facilities and clubs – so that the impact and benefits can
be maximised for participants. The ten priority facilities are:
- Alpine Snow Centre in Aldershot
- Snozone in Castleford
- Chill Factore in Manchester
- Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre
- Kendal Ski Club
- Midlands Ski Club in Birmingham
- Norfolk Ski Club in Norwich
- Ski Rossendale near Manchester/Burnley
- Sheffield Ski Village
- The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair,
said:
“Snow sports in England have moved on a very
long way from the days of Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards. We now have
some fantastic indoor and outdoor skiing facilities across the
country so there has never been a better time to take to the slopes
and experience the thrill of snow sports.”
The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, will
tonight visit Midlands Ski Club in Birmingham, to see how
Government funding is being used. Speaking ahead of the event, he
said:
“It is great news that this extra
funding from the Government and the National Lottery will help
improve facilities for winter sports – giving more people the
chance to experience skiing and snowboarding without even leaving
the country.
“Many people in England will have seen more
snow than they expected this winter, but this is a happy reminder
of how it can provide the setting for a sport that is physically
demanding, really exciting and brings people together.”
Snowsport England’s Chief Executive, Tim
Fawke, said:
“The record level of investment going into
grassroots snow sports in England is helping us create even more
opportunities for people to take part in and enjoy our fantastic
sport. We hope the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will
inspire more people to take up skiing and snowboarding.”
Midland Ski Club has 400 members
and offers participants all aspects of skiing sports. They
have recently increased the number of younger members and now have
over 50 junior and senior racers competing both in the UK
and Europe. The club encourages members to train as coaches and to
qualify as race officials, meaning that whole families are
involved. Last year, they secured over 100 podium places in
competitions with three members being selected for England's dry
squad team and six members for the English Schools Ski
Association national squad.
Midland’s Ski Club’s Chair, Bryan Thomas,
said:
“Midlands Ski Club has some truly promising
talent but we also provide very basic and welcoming opportunities
for new skiers and boarders. We’re delighted to have been named as
a priority area for growing participation in snowsports and look
forward to building on our successes.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Participation in snow sports in
England
The latest results from Sport England’s
annual sports participation survey (Active People) showed that
107,000 people take part in snow sports once a week (October 08 –
October 09).
The funding from Sport England covers the
period from April 2009 – March 2013.
Sport England
Sport England is committed to creating a world-leading community
sport system, and has set specific and measurable targets to
achieve by 2012/13:
- One million people doing more sport
- A 25% reduction in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds who drop
out of at least five key sports
- Improved talent development systems in at least 25 sports
- A measurable increase in people’s satisfaction with their
experience of sport
- A major contribution to the delivery of the five hour
sports offer for children and young people.