Bishop Henderson School, in Coleford, celebrated the official opening of its new Games Court last Thursday, alongside 200m sprinter, Leon Reid.
Headteacher, Mrs Tonie Scott, said that children and staff are delighted with the new facility. She said: “For a long time the children have needed more room to play at break times and a court for games, such as netball and football during PE lessons. Now they have just what they wanted.
“The school applied to Sport England for one of the Primary Spaces grants and were thrilled to be awarded £30,000 to create an all-weather sports facility. With additional funding from the Local Authority, the School Sports Grant and the PTA, we have been able to create a fantastic, multi-use games area.
“Already, it has made a significant difference to the children’s enjoyment of sport and to the amount of physical activity they do each day. We now have a football club at lunchtime twice a week and a netball club after school.
“We would like to say a big thank you to Sport England for the award, which has made this all possible. It will have a significant impact on sporting opportunities for the children in our school. We are very grateful to Michelle Martin, who managed the project on our behalf and also to Mrs Knight, our School Business Manager, who has worked extremely hard to ensure the success of the project.”
The day saw a ribbon cut by City of Bath College student and Northern Ireland 200m Silver Medallist in the European Under-23 Championships, Leon Reid, alongside Sport England representatives, local MP, David Warburton, staff and members of the PTA. The children enjoyed a special day of sport, with lessons led by the sprinter to celebrate their new games court.