A CHESTER high school is celebrating after scooping an ace funding grant.
The Sport England inspired facilities fund, designed to promote the legacy left by last year’s Olympic Games, has awarded Upton-by-Chester High School £75,000 to help transform old, unsightly tennis courts to a new multi-sport all-weather facility with modern fencing and lights.
The facility will provide a tournament venue for local primary schools as well as evening and weekend use for the wider community.
Working in partnership with the Cheshire County Sports Club, which leases part of the school site, the facilities will be managed out of school hours to provide secure and supervised use for local people and organisations.
Sport England chairman Richard Lewis said: “This National Lottery investment is helping us deliver a lasting sporting legacy in Chester from last year’s successful Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“With so many clubs in the North West having benefited from this fund already and building on the success of last summer, this is the legacy people want for their local community.”
Headteacher Jane Holland said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the quality of our premises to provide a high quality sports area, not only for our students but also for primary schools and for the wider community.
“We are very grateful to Sport England for backing our project and we are proud to be part of the legacy of the 2012 Olympics.
“One of our sixth form students, Mitchell Jones, carried the torch on a leg of its journey last year.’’
Chester MP Stephen Mosley added: “It is great to see such a worthy project here in Chester receiving this funding.
“It is really pleasing to see that the Olympic legacy is alive and well here in Chester, and this funding will certainly help.”
