£6.4m Lottery windfall for local sport

PE and sport facilities across Northern Ireland are to be transformed because of a massive lottery windfall totalling more than 6.4 million.

Fourteen projects including schools, councils and community groups receive a share of the funding announced today by the Big Lottery Fund, ensuring hundreds of children and the wider community will benefit from new and improved sports facilities.

Projects that have received funding include the creation of state-of-the-art sports facilities in a Derry housing estate, a skate park in Craigavon and an arena at an Armagh riding school to allow more people with disabilities to take part in lessons.

The grants, totalling £6,478,804, have been awarded under the Big Lottery Fund’s New Opportunities for PE and Sport programme which aims to revamp existing facilities, build new outdoor sports facilities for pupils and encourage young people to stay involved in physical education.

A unique partnership in Derry has been awarded more than £1.4 million to create a massive sports development in the Creggan Estate. Derry City Council, St Cecilia’s College and the Old Library Trust Healthy Living Partnership secured £1,413,199 to build a four-court sports hall, dance studio and other facilities in the heart of Creggan.

The new Community School Sports Hall will be based on Central Drive beside the Old Library Trust’s Healthy Living Centre which is currently being built. The facility will be used by more than 1,400 pupils in the area and more than 1,600 local people.

Seamas Heaney, Project Director of the Old Library Trust Healthy Living Centre, said the new facility would complement ongoing work to build a healthy living centre in the estate. He added: “This is fantastic news for everyone living in Creggan. We are delighted that we could join forces with Derry City Council and St Cecilia’s College to create such a major sports facility. This is a practical demonstration of partnership working and delivering facilities and services in the community.

“The new facility will provide major opportunities for pupils at St Cecilia’s College and surrounding schools and it’s proximity to the new Healthy Living Centre means that we will be able to use this vital space for activities for the wider community.”

(CD/SP)