Published: Tuesday, 24th May 2016
Staff and visitors at The Shed Skatepark at Alive Lynnsport King's Lynn are celebrating the news that a total of £246,350 of funding has been secured to invest in improvements to the facility.
Work, which will start in October, includes improved insulation to tackle the ongoing issue of condensation within the building and the installation of a mezzanine floor to create space for a range of activities to encourage take up of extreme sports. These will include classrooms for workshops, viewing areas, an afterschool club, cafe and shop. It is hoped that work should be completed early January 2017.
Peter Lemon, Chairman of Alive Leisure, said: "We are thrilled that we have secured this funding, which will mean we can offer more reliable opening hours to our customers and do more grassroots work to get people into skateboarding, skating and BMX. I would like to thank all the funders and everyone who has helped us evidence the need for this investment. We are now looking forward to getting the work underway."
Sport England have approved £123,170 of funding through their Inspired Facilities grants.
Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “The Inspired Facilities Fund has had a huge impact on grassroots sport across the country. Since 2011, we’ve invested £102 million into more than 1,920 projects to improve and refurbish sports clubs and transform non-sporting venues into vibrant community sports clubs.
“It’s great to see The Shed Skatepark join the long list of successful clubs to benefit from this fund.”
A further £50,000 has been secured from WREN's FCC Community Action Fund.
WREN is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Kerry Talbot, WREN's grant manager for Cambridgeshire/Norfolk, says: "We're delighted to be supporting The Shed Skatepark project and pleased our funding will provide such a fantastic facility for young people across Norfolk. WREN is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and we're really looking forward to seeing this one take shape soon".
The remaining funding has come from the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk (£70,000), Garfield Weston Foundation (2,500), KLAS A £500 and fundraising events £180.
Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Health, added: "We are delighted to support the funding application with some match funding which shows our commitment to ensuring that we have fit-for-purpose leisure facilities. It is important that Alive Leisure has the right facilities to be able to offer a range of activities to people of all ages and abilities to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle. The extreme sports at The Shed offer an alternative for people who aren't keen on traditional activities such as football or the gym, and with classrooms and viewing areas planned it will be easier than ever for people to learn more and get into the sport."