The grant was given to the Council to create a facility for the whole community, with a range of exercise machines suitable for adults and youngsters over the age of 14 years.
The facility is aimed at encouraging more families to visit the playing field to improve their health and wellbeing and will be suitable for a wide range of users who want to exercise outdoors and keep fit. It will complement the popular children’s play areas nearby which were upgraded in 2016.
Once the equipment is in place the Parish Council will organise an open event to demonstrate the use of the machines and to provide guidance on fitness training for users.
The award has come from HS2’s Community and Environment fund (CEF) which is one of two funds with a combined total of £40million available to local communities and businesses that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of Britain’s new high speed railway between London and the West Midlands.
The HS2 Community and Business funds were launched in 2017 and have to date supported 25 projects in Warwickshire which have shared over £1.29million. Projects have ranged from community facilities upgrades, sports programmes, to programmes to provide transportation for people to access community and healthcare services.
Speaking about the new award, Cathy Elliott, Independent Chair of the HS2 funds said:
“This is a fantastic project for the whole community in Radford Semele. It’s so important for adults and young people to have access to facilities where they can improve their health and wellbeing, and I’m pleased that the outdoor gym project has been successful in securing an award from the HS2 Community and Environment Fund.
“The HS2 Funds are available to support local communities and businesses that are impacted by the construction of HS2.”
Stan Sabin, Chairman of Radford Semele Parish Council said:
"We are delighted to have received the grant from HS2. Radford Semele is a growing village and currently there is a lack of recreational facilities for adults. The recently adopted Radford Semele Neighbourhood Plan incorporates a policy to provide new adult sport and training facilities. This award is most welcome and goes a long way towards achieving this goal.”
As construction of HS2 gets underway, applications for the funds are still being welcomed. The Funds for Phase One, independently administered by community charity Groundwork UK, support urban and rural, community, environmental and business projects.
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