Nearly £25,000 has been distributed across 12 London boroughs courtesy of the Balfour Beatty Sport Development Grants, helping local authorities to nurture grass roots community sport.

The 2015 grants (recipient details below), funded by the London Youth Games’ title sponsor, Balfour Beatty, will go towards free coaching sessions and creating new community clubs for thousands of London’s disadvantaged young people.

The sports to directly benefit are angling, archery, athletics, BMX, cycling, fencing, football, handball, judo, kayaking, netball, rowing, sailing, swimming, table tennis, trampoline and weightlifting from a total funding of £23,600.

Since the grants were launched in 2007, over £420,000 has been invested directly into community projects across London. Recent successes have included the development of Frenford Falcons Wheelchair Basketball Club in Redbridge and the growth of BMX in Ealing via schools coaching.

Southwark’s Peckham Pride basketball club were born in 2007 with the assistance of the grants and have gone on to be National under 15s champions and London Youth Games champions.

Paul Toyne,  Balfour Beatty Group Head of Sustainability said: “Since Balfour Beatty began supporting the London Youth Games in 2007, we have been committed to helping building a legacy for London from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“As well as playing a leading role in the transformation of the Olympic Park into a fantastic community facility, we have helped encourage thousands of young Londoners into competitive sport through the London Youth Games.

“Through nearly £25,000 worth of funding this year, the 2015 Balfour Beatty Sport Development Grants will help introduce thousands of young people from across London to a more healthy, active lifestyle.” 

2015 BALFOUR BEATTY SPORT DEVELOPMENT GRANT RECIPIENTS

City of London
Fusion Lifestyle will host weekly coached handball sessions at the City of London Academy in Southwark. These will be open to young people at the school and young people from outside the school who reside in the square mile area. The aim is to take male and female handball teams to the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games finals at the Olympic Park in June. Throughout the funded weekly sessions, PE staff will be upskilled in handball coaching to encourage sustainability for the sport. Fusion Lifestyle with also work with Sir John Cass Primary School as a feeder school to begin building the pathway. For further information: Gemma Carrrick, gemma.carrick@fusion-lifestyle.com

Ealing
Building on the 2014 grant to educate new coaches in sports where Ealing has traditionally had low participation, Ealing Council will support these new coaches in their continued development of angling, archery and road cycling. This will include trials and 6-8 weeks of coached sessions in each sport to ensure Ealing is represented in all three sports at this year’s London Youth Games. For further information: Jo Valks, valksj@ealing.gov.uk

Greenwich
GLL has indentified the potential for debvelopement of table tennis in Greenwich. Since the arrival of new table tennis tables at schools in the borough, interest and participation has risen significantly. GLL will deliver structured coaching sessions to channel the enthusiasm towards Greenwich male and female teams at the London Youth Games. The schools set to benefit are Eltham Hill, Thomas Tallis and St Ursula & St Paul's Academy. Participants in the ‘Ping Pong Crazy’ programme will also get one month’s free membership of Yong’s Table Tennis Club in Abbey Wood, who, until now had no junior section. For further information: Augustus Peters, augustus.peters@gll.org                

Hackney
Hackney Council are set to regnite weightlifting in the borough by utilising Cardinal Pole School’s weightlifting facility. The borough was the strongest in London, winning gold at the 2011 London Youth Games, but since the coach left in 2013, participation has dwindled. By partnering with a club in Tower Hamlets, the school will gain access to qualified coaching again with 21 weeks worth of curriculum and after-school sessions open to the community. For further information: Lynn Humphrey, lynn.humphrey@hackney.gov.uk

Hammersmith & Fulham
A new club has been formed with the intent to teach young people from the borough with no previous experience to row - an unprecedented development in the borough. The Fulham Reach Boat Club are set to host 16 weeks of sessions for visiting schools and open community sessions to establish borough teams to represent Hammersmith & Fulham at both the indoor and outdoor rowing competitions at this year’s London Youth Games. For further information: Steve O’Connor, steve@fulhamreachboatclub.com

Haringey
In 2014 Haringey competed in every London Youth Games sport and had the largest number of borough participants in its history. But Haringey Sports Development recognises low participation in three sports. To redress this, coached sessions in ParaGames Swimming, Trampoline and Indoor Rowing will be hosted in partnership with borough schools, clubs Haringey Aquatics, Northumberland Park School Trampoline Club and clubs from nearby Hackney and Islington. By delivering quality sessions, Haringey Sports Development aims to create full borough teams and maintain a sustainable model with school-club links. For further Information: Burk Gravis, mail@haringeysportsdevelopment.co.uk

Hounslow
Fusion Lifestyle will host taster days in sports outside of the club environment that can sometimes be daunting for new, young participants. The opportunity to try Archery, Athletics, Handball, Indoor Rowing, Judo, Kayaking, Netball, Sailing, Table Tennis and Trampolining will all be made available. Local clubs will attend the events for any young person who wishes to take the activity further. For further information: Rebecca Townsend, rebecca.townsend@fusion-lifestyle.com

Newham
activeNewham are set to bolster the borough’s participation in Table Tennis, ParaGames Swimming and Female ParaGames Football, all sports in which the sport has traditionally struggled to generate activity. This will see a series of free coached sessions across all sports with the assistance of nearby Lister Table Tennis Club and Newham Swimming Club. The borough aims to compete at the London Youth Games in all three sports. For further information: Lisa Brivati, lisa.brivati@activenewham.org.uk

Redbridge
Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure are set to create the first ever BMX club in the borough to capitalise on the number of young people utilising the new Olympic Park trail and the facility at Redbridge Cycle Centre. Funds will be used to train existing cycle coaches in BMX to guide the 150 young people  who use the centre each week. For further information: Elisya Barrick, Elysia.Barrick@visionrcl.org.uk

Richmond
In partnership with St Mary’s College, Richmond Council are set to establishing a Junior Weightlifting Club. To kick start the club, young people will have access to paid elite coaching at the new strength and conditioning suite used by some the UK’s most prominent athletes towards preparing a borough team for this summer’s London Youth Games finals. For further information: Elaine Cahill,  elaine.cahill@richmond.gov.uk

Tower Hamlets
In partnership with well-established and successful East London club Newham Swords, Tower Hamlets Youth Sports Foundation will create a satellite club for the sport of fencing. Six primary schools and six secondary schools will receive extra-curricular coaching with the long-term goal of creating Tower Hamlets Community Fencing Club. For further information: Richard Arlett, richard.arlett@thysf.org