June 08 Blog

Welcome to our June blog for a month which has seen the launch of three major strategies which will impact on the sporting landscape. Details of the DCMS's "Playing to Win" and London 2012's "Before, During and After" are below, while our own strategy can be accessed through our special blog here


While the strategies herald an exciting new chapter for sport, I'm keen not to lose sight of what has been achieved in the East collectively and would recommend having a look at our annual review (details in Advise). We will be sharing more information with key partners through our usual face to face meetings.

Finally, can I encourage you to vote in this year's National Lottery Awards. Last year saw Bedford's Fit @ Sixty win top prize in the sport category. This year Colchester United Sport Trust's Shrub End facility and outreach programme has made it to the shortlist.

Chris Perks, Regional Director


Advise

Sport England East Annual Review
We are pleased to publish our brief Annual Review for 2007-08 which shows a year of substantial achievements in the East of England. Building on the successes of last year, the system for delivering sport has gone from strength to strength. We intend to produce a review of the East of England Plan for Sport in the forthcoming months. More


Free swimming plan for over 60s at the forefront of sports reforms to spearhead 2012 legacy plans
A new £140 million fund to boost sport and fitness through free swimming for the over 60s has been announced by the Government as part of a drive to get two million people more active by the London 2012 Olympics.

The initiative was part of a package of measures in the Legacy Action Plan: Before, During and After: Making the most of the London 2012 Games.

The DCMS also launched Playing to Win: a New Era for Sport, which outlines roles, responsibilities and the ambitions of partners within the sporting landscape namely UKSport, Youth Sports Trust and Sport England.

Falkner and family make history again
Sport England's Ellen Falkner, her mum Sue Alexander and grandma Dorothy Bowers are thought to have made history after keeping it in the family to win the triples crown for England at the British Isles Women's Bowls Championships. They beat Ireland in the final 18-9, topping their achievement of winning the 2007 English national final. More

Ten facilities in the East make the Pre-Games Training Camp Guide for Paralympic sports
Over 170 sporting facilities from every part of the UK will feature in London 2012’s Pre-Games Training Camp Guide for Paralympic sports.

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has announced the list of successful facilities, which includes ten venues from the East of England. It will publish its Guide of both Olympic and Paralympic facilities which are capable of hosting teams wanting to prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in the summer.

The Guide contains a selection of high quality, sporting facilities that meet the technical criteria of national and international sports bodies and also accessibility and support service requirements to be a suitable venue to host Paralymlpic teams. More

Understanding you markets - Active People & market segmentation bulletin 2
The second Active People and market segmentation bulletin is now available, focusing on using the market segmentation data and running cross tabulation analyses. More

New research to help sports clubs harness volunteer power
Volunteering England and the Institute of Volunteering Research have announced that sports clubs can now measure the impact of their volunteers thanks to a new set of web-based tools.

Laura Ferguson, Head of Sports Volunteering at Volunteering England, said: "These are the first ever tools designed for sports organisations to demonstrate the difference their volunteers are making, and it is fantastic to see those who have already used them promoting the positive impacts of their volunteers and making positive changes to their clubs. More

Norfolk Man appointed Chairman of Snowsports governing body
Barry Spouge, a former Chairman and Director of Norfolk Ski Club, has been appointed Chairman and Director of Snowsport England (formerly known as the English Ski Council).

Barry was instrumental in the presentation for funding and planning of the major £1.4m project completed at Norfolk Ski Club at Trowse, Norwich, which saw the addition of a second ski slope, ski and snowboard fun park, five new lifts and a major clubhouse extension.

Invest

National Lottery Awards - Shrub End makes shortlist
Public voting for the National Lottery Awards 2008 is now open until Friday 4 July and you can decide which projects will progress into the final round of voting later this summer. Vote here

New Facilities Strategy for Herts
Acitve Hertfordshire, a new facilities strategy for the county has just been launched. The executive summary is now available here

Sport England relaunches Sportsmatch
Sport England is delighted to announce the return of Sportsmatch with a new web-based facility enabling applicants to apply online. More

What Sportsmatch can do for you - Hertfordshire Rugby League Coaching Association
Award: £7,500
Sponsor: GT Management Services
Length of scheme: 1 year

The Hertfordshire Rugby League Coaching Association is run primarily for the development of all rugby league coaching in Hertfordshire, including under 18s (known as academy) and open age groups.

They obtained one year's sponsorship from GT Management Services, who specialise in project and programme management, which totalled £7,500. The Association matched this with another £7,500 from Sportsmatch and were able to deliver a rugby league junior coaching programme through the school curriculum and through extra curricular activities.

The Association introduced Rugby League to six secondary schools in the St Albans district. Each school benefited from eight hours of coaching per week with four blocks of six weeks coaching per school, with a specific focus on 12 - 16 year olds. In addition to the curriculum time coaching, after school clubs were set up in schools with club coaches assisting members of staff in the delivery of these clubs.

The project has been a great success, as new links between the local schools, clubs, council and the community has been created through the scheme. The project has also benefited the local community in assisting the creation of a pool of rugby league talent; including players, coaches and volunteers.


Whittlingham included in National Lottery case study guide
The award winning Whittlingham Outdoor Education centre, is one of the innovative projects featuring in a new good practice guide. More

'Lloyds TSB Local Heroes' champions future Olympians and Paralympians
Lloyds TSB, the first Official Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has launched its nationwide programme, ‘Lloyds TSB Local Heroes’. ‘Lloyds TSB Local Heroes’ will provide up to £1,000 to 250 emerging young sportspeople identified each year across Britain, in the run up to London 2012 and beyond. By investing more than £1 million in ‘Lloyds TSB Local Heroes’ over the next five years, the bank will play a major role in supporting Great Britain’s young sporting talent. Local Heroes will be delivered in partnership with SportsAid. More


Norwich Union Community Sports Fund
The Norwich Union Community Sports Fund is giving you the chance to make a difference to sport in your community. Vote now for your favourite sporting initiative and help them win funding of up to £50,000. You could even scoop a cash prize of £500 and get a special visit from a Norwich Union GB & NI Team athlete
To view all East of England projects click here, then click on vote now and select East of England in the search box.

Promote

"Inspired by" London 2012
London 2012 has launched a 'mark' to recognise outstanding non-commercial projects and events inspired by the Games.

The Inspire mark is part of the London 2012 brand family. Only the most accessible, participative, inspiring and stimulating projects and events will achieve the mark – across sport, culture, education, environment, volunteering and business skills. The Inspire mark will be awarded to specific projects and events which are:

• Genuinely inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• Well planned and managed
• Fully funded from non-commercial sources and with no commercial association.
  Innovative and inspiring
• Likely to achieve at least one of their key outcomes. (e.g. increased participation in grass roots sports).

More

Hertfordshire kids gear up for a summer of baseball
An army of kids headed to Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire on Saturday, May 10 for the start of spring training ahead of the inaugural season of the Herts Baseball Little League.

Last year, Herts Baseball Club, with support from BSUK, staged nine summer baseball camps, which were attended by around 50 boys and girls. They have now been joined by many more players who have pre-registered online for the Herts Little League over the winter months.

The season is scheduled to begin on June 14 and all league games will be staged at the club’s baseball complex in Hemel Hempstead. But before this, the players will go through five weeks of intensive spring training, with sessions run by players from Herts Baseball’s three adult teams as well as parents who have shown an interest in getting involved in a coaching capacity. More


Benefits of swimming
The NHS has recently released a promotional video on why swimming and water-based activites are so good for your health and fitness
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

20 June
SportsAid Eastern Lunch Club, Bedford Hotel, Newmarket
Speaker : Danny Crates

26 June
SportsAid Eastern Lunch Club, Carrow Road, Norwich
Speaker : Martin Cross, oarsman

6 July
Suffolk Youth Games 2008

11 July
SportsAid Eastern Lunch Club, Jury's Inn Hotel, Central Milton Keynes
Speaker : Paul Dickinson

18 July
East Regional Sport Board

19 & 20 July
The Danbury Bike Festival - Little Havens Mountain Bike Challenge & Mud, Sweat and Gears Mountain Bike Enduro

24 Aug
UK's Cultural Olympiad begins and Olympic Handover