St Peter’s New Playground is Childsplay

---

Local school children given new surface to boost sports activity

Pupils at St Peter's School, Hammersmith, have been playing on a fantastic new playground surface, which will boost their exercise and sports activity.

A cash boost of £42,307 by the Football Foundation, the UK's largest sports charity, part of the Foundation's and the Big Lottery Fund's £30m commitment of National Lottery money to school football facilities, has allowed St Peter's School to upgrade, re-surface and mark out a new games area for football, basketball and tennis.

The new surface will improve access to football coaching, training and inter-school tournaments, as well as raise the profile of, and access to, girls' football. Newly established partnerships with local sports organisations will also ensure effective progression routes for children linking school football to football in the wider community.

The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country. Funded by the FA Premier League, The Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Football Foundation is the nation's largest sports charity with a £45m budget going straight into the heart of football.

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said "This great new surface at St Peter's School is the latest boost for sport in Hammersmith. It will benefit the young pupils by allowing them to enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle."

Jean Shipton, Head of St Peter's School, said "At St Peter's we recognise the importance of sport in pupils' education - through it children learn co-operation, responsibility, decision-making and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

"We are very proud of our new playground and the opportunities it offers both to our children and to the wider community. I'd like to extend my thanks to the Football Foundation for their generous funding and the difference it will make to our community."

October 9, 2006