Olympic medalist opens Paignton Academy Sports Hub viewing area
Olympic Silver Medallist, Peter Waterfield, opens the new spectator, viewing and coaching area in the Multi-sport Hub at Paignton Community and Sports Academy (PCSA) with an official ribbon cutting ceremony. The £150,000 project received lottery funding from Sport England.
The new spectator’s area is the final phase of the original £1.6m sports arena completed in 2010, also funded by Sport England. The multi-use Sports Hub is utilised for Badminton, Netball, Tennis, Basketball, Futsal and Cricket, with the flexibility for multiple sports to be played all at one time. Phases 1 and 2 was overseen by Cost Consultants, Haldons Limited and SML Contracts were the contractors. The new seating will provide essential capacity for viewing and allow the facility to host regional and national tournaments, increasing the number of new visitors to Torbay.
For the final phase of works, PCSA applied for Lottery funding of £149,500 from Sport England under the ‘Access to Schools fund’. This fund is awarded to open up facilities on educational sites to the community, to increase participation. PCSA was recognised by Sport England as one of the top ten performing sites for community usage with in excess of 90,000 people utilising the facility last year. The new facilities have transformed the school and is a major lift for the local community who have access in the evenings after the end of the school day. It is particularly popular with local football teams including; 60+, women’s, disabled and youth teams. PCSA was recognised by Sport England as one of the top ten performing sites for community usage with in excess of 90,000 people utilising the facility last year.
A three-time Olympian, Peter has won numerous National titles, including 4th in the 2012 London Olympics synchronised diving. He won an individual Silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne; a silver medal in the synchronised diving at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and a Gold medal in the individual Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. In 2000 at the Sydney Olympic aged 18 he came 4th place in synchronised diving.
Following the official opening, Peter took time to give a talk to ‘Gifted and Talented Sports Performers’ from PCSA with invited students from primary schools within the Paignton Academy Primary Sports Partnership, as part of the Academy's commitment to working with its feeder primary schools. The students received the inspirational talk before taking part in three workshops focusing on: practical performance, core strength and planning for success.
The Gifted and Talented evening provided interactive sessions designed to help the students to consider a variety of different training techniques and lifestyle choices that can have a positive effect on their performance as athletes. The event culminated in a practical training session in the Multi sports hub facility, where parents of the children made good use of the new seating area.
Photograph by Glen King
