Free community sports sessions thanks to parish council grant

By Barrie Hudson - 17 July 2023

Clubs & ActivitiesSport
  • South Swindon Parish Councillors Junab Ali, left, and John Firmin, right, with foundation chief Jon Holloway at the opening

    South Swindon Parish Councillors Junab Ali, left, and John Firmin, right, with foundation chief Jon Holloway at the opening

South Swindon Parish Council has welcomed the newly constructed Nigel Eady Training Centre.

The state-of-the-art facility was part-funded by a grant from the parish council of £50,000, and has been established by the Swindon Town FC Community Foundation to provide a range of community sessions and initiatives.

 As a condition for the parish souncil’s grant and in alignment with the community foundation's commitment to community engagement, the foundation has committed to:

- Provide twelve hours of free casual bookings at its existing facility, Foundation Park

- Provide six hours of free casual bookings at the Nigel Eady Training Centre

- Increase the free Friday night football sessions currently being held at Foundation Park to a further 60 participants at the Nigel Eady Training Centre

The free activities aim to encourage participation at both training facilities from the community, promoting the benefits of physical activity among residents of Swindon.

South Swindon Parish Council has thanked to the Swindon Town FC Community Foundation for their dedication and the successful realisation of the Nigel Eady Training Centre, an asset for the entire Swindon community.

Central Ward Parish Councillor Junab Ali said: "We are pleased to support the Swindon Town FC Community Foundation in their efforts to build this fantastic new sports facility for Swindon. 

"The new facility looks fantastic and the fact it will be offering some free use to the local community is even better news. 

"When the community foundation approached the parish council about financially supporting this facility we were clear that our funding was conditional on offering benefits to the local community living near to this facility and I think with what the community foundation are offering, we have achieved this.

A big thank you must go to the staff at the community foundation for having the vision to build this facility and to the Nigel Eady Trust Fund for their large financial contribution to this project.”

Jon Holloway, Head of Swindon Town FC Community Foundation, said:

“We would like to thank South Swindon Parish Council for their support towards the building of our £1.25 million pounds covered facility. 

"This brand new, state-of-the-art facility represents our commitment to the people of Swindon, and the community that has been built around the football club. 

"After opening Foundation Park in 2019, we identified another gap in the provision of sports facilities in Swindon. Today marks another momentous day for the foundation, and we’re very proud to be able to provide even more people with access to top quality sports facilities – right on their doorstep.”

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