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On Saturday 6th February,
Westcroft Judo Club officially unveiled its new £500,000 judo
club based at Carshalton Boys Sport College.
The new facility, which
is an extension to the schools existing indoor sports facility,
boasts a 10m x 12m contest area on a sprung floor and a minor
spectator area. It was made possible by funding through the Community
Club Development Programme (CCDP), which is an innovative collaboration
between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sport England
and 16 National Governing Bodies.
The programme aims to
bring with it flexibility to encourage creative approaches to
enhancing club facilities and increasing participation by members
of the local community -particularly those who are traditionally
underrepresented in sports participation.
The club was identified
by British Judo in 2004 as a judo club that needed significant
improvement, and because of this it was presented as part of the
Association’s submission for funding.
“Westcroft Judo Club
met the criteria for the funding, as amongst other things, it
had the potential to create a sustainable and viable sports club
infrastructure. It could also link into schools and provide support
and pathways for talented individuals, as well as meet the needs
of the local community,” explains Mark Beecher, British Judo’s
Development Director.
“It has taken four years
from application to this point, and the club have worked with
us to create a fantastic facility, which will be an asset to the
entire Community.”
What was once a small
club set up in 1996, on a squash court in a leisure centre, the
club now boasts over 300 license holders with five players on
the England squads. One of which was 2007 Youth Olympian, Kerry
Ford.
Present at the opening
was Chairman of the British Judo Association, Densign White and
the London Borough of Sutton’s, Head
of Construction and Procurement, Paul Algeo.
The official opening
ceremony took place at 1.15pm with speeches, including words from
British Judo Chairman Densign White and Westcroft Judo Club’s
Andy Ede.
The official opening was also marked
with a judo session for the members run by Densign White, a three
times Olympian and World medallist.
Senior Club Coach, Andrew
Ede, a former international himself said, “This is a fantastic
opportunity to move forward, ensuring that Westcroft Judo Club
is here for many years to come.
“Before this, we were
spread across various venues. By bringing it all together now,
we have made judo available to the wider community. Thank you
to all who have been involved.”
Densign White, Chairman
of the British Judo Association said, “ The new venue is a credit
to Westcroft Judo Club. The facility will be invaluable for the
entire spectrum of judo player – from our grass roots participants’
right through to athletes competing internationally.”
“A club such as this
also no doubt helps to attract and retain new participants into
our sport.”
Cllr Graham Tope, Executive
Member for Community Safety, Leisure and Libraries on Sutton Council,
said: “The borough now has a world class facility to train students
to the highest levels and this new hall will be an asset to the
whole community.”
Charles Johnston, Director
of Property at Sport England, said, "The new hall at Carshalton
Boys College provides a high quality judo facility for participants
of Westcroft Judo Club, the school and the local community. We’re
delighted to support the project and are confident that it will
become an important site for people wanting to make sport a regular
part of their lives."
The club welcomes new
members and details of club session times can be found on the
club’s website www.westcroftjudo.com
.
Anyone interested in
attending a judo class can call Senior Club Coach Andy Ede on
0845 0560241.
©
Mike Varey
NOTES TO EDITORS
High resolution images
available by contacting Emma Griffin on emma.griffin@britishjudo.org.uk.
Sport England is working
to create an active nation through sport, providing advice to
partners, investing in community sport and promoting sport and
its benefits. Our aim is to increase the number of people participating
in sport and active recreation by around 2 million by 2012 with
specific focus on hard to reach groups that are currently under-represented.
Sport England is a non-departmental public body that distributes
both Lottery and public funding to develop community sport.
For further information:
Emma Griffin
Head of Communications
British Judo
Direct Line: +44(0)1509
631 692
Mobile: +44(0)7875 368
495
Fax: +44 (0) 1509 631
680
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