FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The London Marathon Charitable Trust awards more than £300,000
in new grants to support physical wellbeing
The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust) has today announced new
grants totalling £314,680 for facility improvements in London and Surrey
that will provide local communities with improved access to physical
activity and sport. Since its founding in 1981, The Trust has awarded more
than £92million to projects that inspire activity, contributing to the
health and wellbeing of the nation.
The Trust's latest grants support many physical activity facilities that
have been central in helping communities address the challenges posed by
Covid-19. This includes Livability, a national disability and community
engagement charity, that has been awarded a grant of £100,000 towards the
renovation of the sports hall at Kingsley Hall on the Becontree Estate in
the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Kingsley Hall has played a vital role in supporting vulnerable members of
the local community throughout the pandemic with doorstep deliveries,
prescription pick ups and telephone support services. The £100,000 grant
will support the renovation of its sports hall, improving accessibility and
enabling more people with physical disabilities and people of all ages to
participate in a range of activities and sports.
Chris Kapnisis, Kingsley Hall Director, said: "This award will provide
much-needed community celebration, inclusion and promotion of fitness to
the public, and a schedule of recreational activities ready for when
community sports are resumed. Through this redevelopment we will be able to
support up to 150,000 people every year. The renovation of the sports hall
will lift spirits and contribute towards stronger and healthier communities
in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham."
The redevelopment works are due to start shortly in readiness for 2021,
which is the centenary year of the Becontree Estate.
The past few months have also given many people a renewed appreciation of
being able to be active outdoors. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has
been awarded a grant of £20,000 towards installing an outdoor gym at St
Paul's Shadwell Church, providing opportunities for the whole community to
participate in year-round physical activity free of charge.
Michael Traynor, Young Life and Community Manager at St Paul's Shadwell,
said: "Creating this new exercise area, thanks to the support of The London
Marathon Charitable Trust, has enabled us to completely transform the area
providing an incredible resource for hundreds of regular exercisers, as
well as to run free fitness classes for our community."
This new, free, outdoor facility is nearly complete, and will soon be
available for use by the local community.
Elmbridge Canoe Club in Surrey (pictured above) has also received a £13,000
grant towards renovating its toilet and changing facilities, to provide
modern facilities that will encourage more people to participate in the
club's outdoor water-based activities all-year round.
Scott Hynds, Talent Club Partnership Manager at Elmbridge Canoe Club, said:
"Through The Trust's generous grant we have been able to grow the club and
offer a wider range of physical activities to meet the growing demand of
our increasingly active local community.
"We have doubled the capacity for female participants, and (Covid-19
guidelines permitting) can now offer a more varied programme of activity,
including: women-only personal training sessions, a greater volume of
family taster days including Stand Up Paddles (SUPs), kayaks and toddler
Canadian canoe sessions, dedicated school holiday SUP lessons, open water
swimming and kids beginner courses."
The full list of grants announced by The Trust:
Location / Grantee / Description Award
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham £100,000.00
Livability
Towards the refurbishment of the sports hall at Kingsley Hall including the
renewal of changing room facilities, installation of a Changing Places
bathroom and improvements to disabled access into the hall. The
transformation means the hall will be able to support more people with
physical disabilities and will enable people of all ages to participate in
sports and exercise classes and become physically active.
London Borough of Bromley £75,000.00
London Borough of Bromley
Towards delivering a Making Trax Scheme, the creation of Bromley Bike Track
and a new community club; and the delivery of an activity programme that
engages physically inactive people and under-represented groups.
Elmbridge, Surrey £30,000.00
Silvermere Gymnastics Academy
Towards the refurbishment and fit-out of the new premises for Silvermere
Gymnastics Academy, enabling the organisation to double its' teaching
capacity and provide more opportunities for both children and adults,
including those with Special Educations Needs and Disability, to take part
in gymnastics.
London Borough of Tower Hamlets £20,000.00
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Towards an outdoor gym based at St Paul's, Shadwell Basin, providing
opportunities for the whole community to participate in year-round physical
activity free of charge.
Tandridge District Council, Surrey £16,500.00
National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy
Towards the renovation of an existing woodland shelter and path
improvements enabling the space to be wheelchair accessible. The project at
St Piers School and College will enhance outdoor learning for children and
young people with epilepsy that have complex support needs, enabling them
to increase their physical activity using the woods in a supportive and
accessible environment.
London Borough of Lambeth £15,848.00
London Borough of Lambeth
Towards the refurbishment of the Rush Common Woodland Walk on the St
Matthews Estate in Brixton that will double the size of the play area,
restore swings and install a natural play trail with low impact balance
stations. The improvements will support children of all ages, increasing
opportunities for outdoor play and learning and will encourage local
families to use the surrounding green spaces for walking and other physical
exercise.
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham £14,000.00
The Barking Muslims Association
Towards the fit-out of a new sensory room at Barking Muslims Association
creating a community facility which will provide opportunities to those
with special educational needs and disabilities to participate in play and
physical activity, as well as providing carers and family members with
specialist support.
Elmbridge, Surrey £13,000.00
Elmbridge Canoe Club
Towards upgrading the toilet and changing rooms to provide modern and
appropriate facilities with an increased capacity, meeting demand from the
growing membership base and encouraging more people to participate in the
Club's outdoor water-based activities all-year round.
London Borough of Ealing £10,000.00
London Borough of Ealing
Towards the repair and refurbishment of the sports hall floor at
Featherstone High School providing new sporting opportunities, including
volleyball, basketball and short mat bowls, to the community.
London Borough of Brent £8,000.00
Welsh Harp Sailing Club
Towards two powerboat engines for safety boats at the Welsh Harp Sailing
Club at Brent Reservoir to improve reliability, safety and ease of training
and enable wider local community to discover water-based activities.
London Borough of Harrow £7,332.00
Roxeth Community Church
Towards new acoustic panels for Roxeth Community Church hall that will
improve the sound quality and enjoyment of indoor chair Pilates Gold
classes for older, less mobile people with hearing difficulties enabling
them to be and remain physically active.
London Borough of Greenwich £5,000.00
Metrogas Amateur Sports Association Ltd
Towards addressing drainage issues to improve the condition and
availability of the pitches, enabling more people to use them for outdoors
physical activity and for Metrogas Amateur Sports Association to seek a
community partner to develop a girl's football programme, enhancing the
activities available at the site.
The applications for these awarded Facilities Grants were received before
April 2020. Since then, the continued uncertainty created by Covid-19 has
meant The Trust has made the difficult decision to not accept any new
applications to its grants programmes. The Trustees are taking the
opportunity to review the existing grants programmes, and for further
details please visit lmct.org.uk which will be updated regularly with any
new information.
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