Blog archive

In Plymouth I visited the College of St Mark and St John where I met
many local school children, who were all taking part in activities
designed to develop the core skills that are essential for success in
sport at any level including agility, balance, coordination, speed and
spatial awareness. I was also introduced to a number of local athletes
who are all fully focused on achieving their goal of competing at a
future Olympic or Paralympic Games. The enthusiasm of all of those
involved on the day was incredible - from the very young taking part in
team games to those in more serious training and from all of the
dedicated individuals supporting them in their training.
My next stop was the city of Swindon, which was staging a 'Get Active
Day', encouraging local residents to try out new activities, and to
think about taking at least 10-15 minutes of exercise every day. I was
introduced to children from the area who were having fun trying out
circus skills and I even had a go myself!
The final destination on my packed schedule was Hartpury college, which
has seen the number of students signing up for sports courses increase
considerably over the last few years. After a tour of their sports
centre and outdoor facilities, I was asked to officially open their new
International Arena for equine events. The Arena was finished in June
this year and will provide equine competitors and their support teams
with state of the art training and event facilities. It has already
hosted the FEI World Para Dressage Championships as its inaugural event.
Having had the opportunity to see such a wide range of facilities and
events in one day, I am really encouraged that the vision we set out
during the bid - to inspire a new generation to take part in sport - is
really starting to happen across the UK.