Nearly £25,000 has been distributed across 12 London boroughs courtesy of the Balfour Beatty Sport Development Grants, helping local authorities to nurture grass roots community sport.
The 2015 grants, funded by the London Youth Games’ title sponsor, Balfour Beatty, will go towards free coaching sessions and creating new community clubs for thousands of London’s disadvantaged young people.
The sports to directly benefit are angling, archery, athletics, BMX, cycling, fencing, football, handball, judo, kayaking, netball, rowing, sailing, swimming, table tennis, trampoline and weightlifting from a total funding of £23,600.
Since the grants were launched in 2007, over £420,000 has been invested directly into community projects across London. Recent successes have included the development of Frenford Falcons Wheelchair Basketball Club in Redbridge and the growth of BMX in Ealing via schools coaching.
Southwark’s Peckham Pride basketball club were born in 2007 with the assistance of the grants and have gone on to be National under 15s champions and London Youth Games champions.
Paul Toyne, Balfour Beatty Group Head of Sustainability said: “Since Balfour Beatty began supporting the London Youth Games in 2007, we have been committed to helping building a legacy for London from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“As well as playing a leading role in the transformation of the Olympic Park into a fantastic community facility, we have helped encourage thousands of young Londoners into competitive sport through the London Youth Games.
“Through nearly £25,000 worth of funding this year, the 2015 Balfour Beatty Sport Development Grants will help introduce thousands of young people from across London to a more healthy, active lifestyle.”
The London Youth Games is Europe’s largest annual youth sports event and is driving the legacy for increased participation in competitive sport and volunteering for young Londoners.
A record 126,897 young Londoners took part in the record-breaking 2014 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games, taking the event to over 1 million participants since it first launched in 1977.
To find out more about the competing or volunteering at London Youth Games, visit www.londonyouthgames.org or follow @ldnyouthgames on Twitter
Media enquiries:
Chris Broadbent, London Youth Games
Tel: +44 (0)20 7717 1571
chris@londonyouthgames.org
Louise McCulloch, Balfour Beatty
Tel: +44 (0)207 216 6846
Louise.mcculloch@balfourbeatty.com
Notes to editors:
Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 36,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
Our main geographies are the UK, US, Middle East and South East Asia. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world, including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the world’s biggest shopping mall in Dubai, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
