Colchester: Gazette backs centre's lottery cash bid (From Gazette)

Colchester: Gazette backs centre's lottery cash bid

8:00am Monday 23rd June 2008

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Visit the Shrub End Community and Sports Centre in Colchester at any time and you get a sense of the range of activities on offer.

Outside on the floodlit synthetic pitches could be a tournament for youngsters with behavioural or emotional difficulties.

On the other pitch there could be a "streetball" league running for teenagers from the Shrub End estate.

Inside the £1.4 million centre, the ground floor could be full of babies and toddlers taking part in a SureStart class or lessons in parenting for young mothers.

Meanwhile, the upstairs computer suite could be full of children from local schools who may be struggling to learn through sport, or for adult education classes.

"The idea is to combine an old-fashioned community centre with quite a cutting-edge sports centre," explains Steve Bradshaw, chief executive of the Colchester United Community Sports Trust.

"It is to provide a whole range of sporting and community opportunities which are inclusive.

"The centre tries to make sure there is something for everyone at whatever level of confidence you are and whatever ability you like to think you have.

"We like to focus on all areas, like our local Shrub End estate but also, because of the quality of facilities here, we do get people travelling from across the borough and further to use particularly the synthetic turf pitches."

As a result of the success of the centre since it opened its doors in 2006 - 2,000 people come through its doors every week - it is one of ten sports projects on a shortlist for a national lottery award.

Public voting began last week to choose three of the lottery-funded projects to feature in a final, which will be aired on BBC1 later this year.

For Mr Bradshaw, who is supported by staff, including school and sports development officer Dimitri Halajko, and community and health manager Angela Hall, the £2,000 prize at stake is less important than raising awareness about the centre.

"It's about people becoming even more aware of the range of different things going on here," he added.

"If we were lucky enough to be successful, we would re-invest the money in some of our community programme.

"We see childhood obesity as a real issue and, working with the PCT, we are putting some programmes together which will start to address some of those issues.

"The big thing is that by people continuing to use the centre, it will help them to improve their fitness levels.

"It will help them to enjoy sport more and help them to develop a sense of the community which is right at the heart of this place."

To vote for Shrub End Community and Sports Centre, call 0845 386 3258 or log on to lottery goodcauses.org/awards Or, you can visit: gazette-news.co.uk and follow the link.

Voting closes on July 4, with a second round of voting between July 21 and August 8 to decide the winners.

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