Between Monday 8 March and Monday
15 March, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) is running a week-long road showshow in Wales to highlight
its support to young people in sport through its New Opportunities for PE and Sport (NOPES)
programme.
The NOPES programme was launched in November 2002, and nearly
£50 million in Lottery funding for sports facilities has been shared out across
Wales from the funding pot. Nearly 190 separate schools and communities have received funding through
NOPES for facilities ranging from outdoor activity centres, climbing walls and astro turf to multi-million
pound sports facilities for use by both schools and local communities. The roadshow will revisit some
of these projects from across Wales next week looking at the impact the money has had in helping to
create Wales’ sporting stars of the future.
The sporting
stars backing the BIG roadshow during the week include Olympic Silver medallist, Jamie Baulch; the Cardiff
Blues; new European light-heavyweight boxing champion Nathan Cleverly; Swansea City Football Club; former
Wales rugby defence coach Clive Griffiths with players from the North Wales Rugby Team, RGC 1404; Wales
international football star, Gwennan Harries and North Wales rugby league team, Crusaders.
The
Road show is visiting six schools (one each day) throughout Wales during the week. It will showcase
the achievements of a rising young star who has developed significantly thanks
to the quality of the facilities we funded. The aim is to raise awareness of the potential NOPES funded
projects
have in paving the way for future sporting stars to rise and develop through local sports facilities.
And who knows, when the Olympics and Paralympics visit Britain in 2012, some of these schools may be
represented!
Schedule
Monday 8 March
Willows
High School in Splott, Cardiff
The school received £580,349
for a new artificial pitch.
Jamie Baulch
and Cardiff Blues will be hosting a training session on the pitch along with BIG
Lottery Fund Director, Ceri Doyle. Dr Kylie Wilson, sports psychologist from University
of Wales Institute Cardiff will also be there to endorse our facilities and do media interviews.
Tuesday
9 March
Duffryn High School, Newport
British,
Commonwealth
and now the European light heavyweight boxing
champion,
Nathan Cleverly, will be putting pupils
through ten tough rounds at our £1.4 million funded
sports hall.
Wednesday
10 March
Bishopston Comprehensive School, Swansea
Swansea
City Football Club stars will be scouting
for new talent
as they put the rising young sports star pupils through
their paces at the £1.2 million Lottery funded sports hall and fitness centre.
Thursday
11 March
Ysgol
David Hughes, Anglesey
Grand slam winning former Wales Defence Coach,
Clive
Griffiths,
will be hosting a session at the £2.5 million sports centre. Clive is the coach
of the newly formed North Wales rugby region and players
from the squad, including Canadian Internationals will be there with him.
Friday
12 March
Welshpool High School
Wales
international and Everton football star, Gwennan
Harries,
hosts a training session and meets rising young female
sports stars at their £430,000 Lottery-funded astro turf pitch.
Monday
15 March
Ysgol y Grango, Wrexham
North
Wales based Rugby League outfit, Crusaders,
will
be joining the school's pupils at their
£525,000 part Lottery-funded sports facilities.
