Feb 08 Monthly Blog

Welcome to our February Blog for a month which has seen Andy Burnham MP appointed as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Work on the new strategy is still ongoing, although there will be some delays to the timescales. Agreeing a way forward is however an important priority for the new Secretary of State.

It was great to see Lord Coe in the region last month, visiting both sporting and cultural venues in Bedfordshire and Luton (more in Advise), helping to launch the Bedfordshire and Luton SportsAid Foundation (more in Invest) and being interviewed for BBC East’s Politics Show (more in Advise).

There are a couple of new faces at present in the regional office. Chris Cutforth left us in December after 17 years to lecture at Sheffield Hallam University. I would like to thank Chris for all his work over the years and wish him well in his new career. Suffolk Sport's John Clough is with us until April as a part-time secondee, undertaking work with the Performance and Improvement Team.

Finally, with Simon Macqueen currently seconded to the National Sport Team, two further secondees are currently part of the East team. Matt Wells joins us from Active Luton and Matt Roebuck joins us from Sport England South West. Both will be working with National Governing Bodies, with Matt Roebuck supporting the Performance and Improvement Team as well.

Chris Perks Regional Director


Advise
Andy Burnham MP appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England, has welcomed the appointment of Andy Burnham MP as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. "We know he is a strong supporter of sport and we look forward to working with him to further enhance community sport in England." More

Sport England attends Culture Media & Sport Committee
Sport England Chief Executive Jennie Price has given evidence to the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee that was meeting as part of its inquiry into the London 2012 Games and their impact on participation in sport. The meeting can be viewed via the Parliament Live web site.

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2012 Supremo visits Bedfordshire
Lord Coe, Chairman of London 2012, spent a day in Bedfordshire hearing first hand how community sport and cultural initiatives are enriching the lives of local people.The highlight of the visit on Tuesday 22nd January was a trip to Westfield Middle School in Bedford where Lord Coe met youngsters and adults involved in two multi-faith sporting projects. Members of the All Saints Basketball Club and Queens Park Youth Cricket had the chance to show off the skills they have developed since the clubs were set up by the local church and mosque.“It was wonderful to see youngsters from all backgrounds get so much enjoyment from sport,” Lord Coe said. “The two clubs have taken enormous strides in developing the children’s sporting skills and bringing cohesion to the diverse communities in their area.” More

BBC East Politics Show - from Beijing to Bedford
The East Regional Sport Board’s Stephen Castle joined the panel as the BBC East Politics show discussed the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and what will it all mean to this region.You can view the transcript here or view Lord Coe's interview here


Ellen Brings home a hat-trick of Silvers
Sport England East‘s Ellen Falkner narrowly missed out on adding the World Outdoor Bowls Singles and Pairs titles to her already full trophy cabinet. Both finals held in Christchurch, New Zealand saw her up against local favourite Val Smith. “I’m really pleased to come home with two World Championship medals, especially having been playing in conditions which are totally different to home” said Ellen. During her visit Ellen also won silver at New Zealand’s National Championship in the Women’s Fours. More

Clubmark celebrates CSP success
Clubmark has good reason to celebrate as the number of licensed County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) doubles, bringing the total to six. 2008 has got off to a great start with 3 more CSPs recently awarded a license to accredit Clubmark - Living Sport, sportessex and Lancashire Sport Partnership. More


Invest
Bedfordshire and Luton SportsAid Foundation launches among host of stars
World 400m Gold Medallist Derek Redmond and former rugby internationals Mike Rayer and John Sleightholme joined Lord Coe to celebrate the launch of the Bedfordshire and Luton SportsAid Foundation during January. The Foundation has been set up in partnership between Team Beds & Luton and SportsAid to ensure that commercial sector funding is attracted to help the next generation of sports superstars from the area. Contact

East of England is top of the league for spending on sport
Research commissioned by Sport England shows that per capita sport related consumer spending in the East of England is higher than any other region in the country. Per capita sports related spending (which includes clothing and footwear, participation fees and admission fees) has increased in the Eastern region from £291 in 2003 to £351 in 2005 – higher than the national average of £328. More

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives
A new £372 million cross-government strategy to help the population lead healthier lives has been published. The strategy includes a review of the overall approach to physical activity, including the role of Sport England, to ensure that there is a clear legacy before and after the 2012 Games. More


Government launches £140million cycling fund
£140 million of government investment in cycling has been announced by Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport. The investment aims to help half a million children cycle safely and a generation of adults rediscover their bikes. More



£1 million for volunteering projects
vinspired, the volunteering web site for young people, is giving away £1 million to 16-25 year olds in England who want to set up their own volunteering project in their community. The funding called vcashpoint can be utilised for sports events and projects. More

Suffolk and Essex Clubs set to benefit from Cash for Clubs
Suffolk and Essex Clubs can now benefit from a new funding initiative set up in conjunction with the Cash for Clubs scheme and the East Anglian Daily Times. This will give a much needed cash boost to the most deserving sports clubs in the region and there are five jackpots of £1,000 up for grabs. The opportunity is open to all sports clubs in Suffolk and Essex, as long as they have a constitution and a registered bank account. More


Promote
Get Local with Sport England Market Segments
Ever wondered what types of people live in your area and how sporty they are? New maps covering the East region are now available on our website. These show the dominant market segments at Middle Super Output Area level for County and Local Authority Areas. More


Sport Playing its Part newsletter
The latest edition of the Sport Playing Its Part newsletter has been published by Sport England's Policy Team. Contents include the Olympics to health inequalities, including the new Public Service Agreements and the latest news on 'place shaping'. More

Sport - a positive activity
Sport England’s new publication, Sport – A Positive Activity, describes how sport and those involved with sport can work with local authorities to meet the needs of young people. It demonstrates the contribution sport can make and provides information on the key sporting partners who can help. More


2012 – How Local Authorities can Join In
London 2012 has recently produced a guide on how local government can make the most of the opportunities for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More



2008 Events
There are a number of events planned over the forthcoming months. For a full listing and further details please look at our events page

19 Feb - East National Governing Bodies of Sport Forum
24 Feb - Hertfordshire Coaching Conference
27 Feb - Rural Sport and Recreation Training Event
28 Feb - Sport England Market Segments Training for National Governing Bodies of Sport
1 Mar - England Athletics Club Seminar
4 Mar - Promoting Physical Activity with Older People
13 Mar - Public Health Conference in East of England
17 Mar - Essex Legacy Conference
18 Mar - East Regional Sports Board
27 Mar - Sport England Market Segments Training for National Governing Bodies of Sport
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