Blaenau Gwent Council has successfully bid for £200,000 from Sport Wales to enhance outdoor sporting facilities in Tredegar.
The astro-turf at Tredegar Sports Centre is to be upgraded with a brand new 3G surface by Spring 2020. The current astro-turf needs upgrading to increase usage, particularly to accommodate local teams that travel out of county to train and play matches.
The new facility will be dual-use and be available for pupils from Tredegar Comprehensive, Aneurin Leisure Trust & can be hired by local sports teams. It is also an opportunity to help to encourage and grow more youth teams, as well as female & disability sports.
Councillor Joanne Collins, the Council’s Executive Member for Education said:
“This is fantastic news for the school and for the sporting community in Tredegar and surrounding areas. We hope that by offering high quality local facilities on the doorstep we will be able to encourage more teams and athletes to stay in the area. Being able to hire out the pitch again means generating an income so that we can ensure the long-term sustainability of the facilities.
“As a Council we are committed to promoting and enhancing the well-being of local residents and we work closely with a range of partners to encourage and support healthy lifestyles and being able to provide first class facilities is part of this.”
Phill Sykes Director of Operations at Aneurin Leisure said:
“Aneurin Leisure are extremely excited about working in partnership with Tredegar Comprehensive School for the implementation and management of a brand new 3G pitch. The investment into the Tredegar is much needed and will open up so many opportunities to help improve the health and wellbeing of the community.”
The total cost of the project is £303,000, with the remainder funded from the 21st Century Schools Programme, which is a partnership between the Council and the Welsh Government. The Council, Aneurin Leisure Trust and Tredegar Comprehensive School will manage the facilities jointly.
Charlotte Leaves (Headteacher) and Councillor John Morgan (Chair of Governors) at Tredegar Comprehensive said:
“The school is absolutely thrilled by the news! In light of both the New Curriculum for Wales and the Well-being of Futures Generation Act, the new 3G facility will provide us with an outstanding opportunity to further embrace the health and wellbeing agenda for all of our pupils. The initial upgrade completes phase one of the business case, and our aim is to work closely with our partners as we move to secure phase two of the business case. This will encompass a further 3G provision with the upgrade of the grass football pitch. It is anticipated that all upgrades will be completed by 2023 and this will provide the top-class outdoor education and training facilities that our children and our community deserve’”