WIREDGOV

Just one week ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Sport England and Snowsport England have revealed the ten ski facilities and clubs that will be at the heart of their drive to get more people on the slopes throughout England.

Snowsport England, the national governing body for snow sports, is receiving £985,000 of Government and National Lottery funding to get more people skiing and snowboarding in high quality environments. Some of the funding will also be used to helped talented athletes move closer to their dreams of competing in the Winter Olympics.

In particular, Snowsport England is:

• Working with the charity Snow-Camp, to give more disadvantaged youngsters the chance to try snow sports, by helping them expand into new inner city areas and introduce participants to established ski clubs
• Working with universities to tap in the keen student market
• Expanding its work to offer more opportunities to snowboarders
• Employing dedicated staff to develop snow sports across England
• Developing a clear route for talented school-aged skiers to progress including new competitions and leagues.

The funding and work is being focused on ten priority facilities and clubs – so that the impact and benefits can be maximised for participants. The ten priority facilities are:

• Alpine Snow Centre in Aldershot
• Snozone in Castleford
• Chill Factor^e in Manchester
• Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre
• Kendal Ski Club
• Midlands Ski Club in Birmingham
• Norfolk Ski Club in Norwich
• Ski Rossendale near Manchester/Burnley
• Sheffield Ski Village
• The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.

Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, said:

“Snow sports in England have moved on a very long way from the days of Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards. We now have some fantastic indoor and outdoor skiing facilities across the country so there has never been a better time to take to the slopes and experience the thrill of snow sports.”

The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, will tonight visit Midlands Ski Club in Birmingham, to see how Government funding is being used. Speaking ahead of the event, he said:

 “It is great news that this extra funding from the Government and the National Lottery will help improve facilities for winter sports – giving more people the chance to experience skiing and snowboarding without even leaving the country.

“Many people in England will have seen more snow than they expected this winter, but this is a happy reminder of how it can provide the setting for a sport that is physically demanding, really exciting and brings people together.”

Snowsport England’s Chief Executive, Tim Fawke, said:

“The record level of investment going into grassroots snow sports in England is helping us create even more opportunities for people to take part in and enjoy our fantastic sport. We hope the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will inspire more people to take up skiing and snowboarding.”

Midland Ski Club has 400 members and offers participants all aspects of skiing sports. They have recently increased the number of younger members and now have over 50 junior and senior racers competing both in the UK and Europe. The club encourages members to train as coaches and to qualify as race officials, meaning that whole families are involved. Last year, they secured over 100 podium places in competitions with three members being selected for England's dry squad team and six members for the English Schools Ski Association national squad.  

Midland’s Ski Club’s Chair, Bryan Thomas, said:

“Midlands Ski Club has some truly promising talent but we also provide very basic and welcoming opportunities for new skiers and boarders. We’re delighted to have been named as a priority area for growing participation in snowsports and look forward to building on our successes.”

Notes to Editors

Participation in snow sports in England
The latest results from Sport England’s annual sports participation survey (Active People) showed that 107,000 people take part in snow sports once a week (October 08 – October 09).

The funding from Sport England covers the period from April 2009 – March 2013.

Sport England
Sport England is committed to creating a world-leading community sport system, and has set specific and measurable targets to achieve by 2012/13:

• One million people doing more sport
• A 25% reduction in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds who drop out of at least five key sports
• Improved talent development systems in at least 25 sports
• A measurable increase in people’s satisfaction with their experience of sport
• A major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports offer for children and young people.