Sport England Announcement

Sport England £50,000 Inspired Fund Award for a New Sports and Community Centre in Codicote

Sport England will help to pay tribute to the courage of a local sports teacher, John Clements, who died saving the lives of 35 children in April 1976, and was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his bravery. Against over 1000 applications across the UK the proposed new Sports and Community Centre to be built in his name in Codicote has been awarded £50,000.

Since John’s untimely death, the initial purchase of the Sports Field in Bury Lane in 1981 and the construction of the first phase of the John Clements Memorial Pavilion in 1984, sport in the village of Codicote has thrived.

The four main Clubs - cricket, football, tennis, table tennis - are well established and growing, all winning cups and promotions at all age levels. This progression was greatly assisted by the practical provision by the Parish Council in 1992 of a temporary Sports and Social Club. This facility has been instrumental in not only allowing the village teams to entertain their visitors in the customary sporting manner but also allows social members, who enjoy that environment, to be present and enjoy other indoor sporting activities as well. It has also encouraged the Clubs to blend together and since 2002 to manage the Sports and Social Club very successfully.

However, reality dictated that the time was approaching when the temporary Sports and Social Club building would not be fit for purpose and, if not replaced, would gradually lead to the reduction of sport played in Codicote. After a successful London Olympics and with a need for people to take more exercise, the time was right to act. A Project Team was formed to review and resolve the situation.

Various possibilities were examined in depth culminating in the Project Team’s current proposal. The concept is that a building, in traditional bricks and mortar, will be constructed adjoining the existing John Clements Pavilion. The new building is essentially designed along similar lines to the existing Sports and Social Club with a larger and higher main activity hall suitable for a range of indoor sports and community activities. The Project Team have accrued over £400,000 of funds for its construction, 60% of which has come from local residents and contacts and the rest from well-known local and national charitable trusts and foundations, and Sport England.

It is scheduled to go for Planning Permission from NHDC on 24th April 2014 by which time the build costs should also be known, leaving the Parish Council, who have already written a letter of support, to give its final approval at the 29th April Full Council Meeting. This would allow construction to begin by the end of June and would start to bring closure to the deeds of a wonderful village man.

The Project Team will be launching a final “buy a brick “ scheme in the village in early May once the project is fully approved, and those funds raised will go to the final finishing and running of the new John Clements Sports and Community Centre.