A SCHOOL near Leominster is one of two in Herefordshire to secure a total of more than £25,000 to help young people become more active.

During the past three months, Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire has invested £253,138 through the Opening School Facilities funding from the Department for Education, to support schools to open their sporting facilities for local community and school users outside of the normal school day.

This funding will enable local schools to open up their facilities for children, young people and the wider community to access more opportunities to be physically active, before school, after school, during weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Wigmore High School, north of Leominster, received £11,200 to deliver personal trainer-led gym sessions for female pupils, and purchase security equipment to extend opening times.

Fifteen schools from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire have received the support, using funding to purchase equipment to deliver new or additional clubs, to train employees to obtain qualifications to deliver new or additional activities and to pay for activity deliverers to run the clubs. 

In Hereford, the Bishop of Hereford Bluecoat School has received funding of £13,843 to build on their work in engaging females through ‘Here Girls Can’, purchasing trampolining equipment.

Opening School Facilities is a three-year investment programme. 

Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire will be investing similar funding for the next two years in a targeted approach, with priority given to projects and schools engaging audiences further away from physical activity.

Two Worcestershire schools will use their funding to furnish new fitness suite facilities.

The new facilities, at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College in Worcester and Holy Trinity School in Kidderminster, will support communities to be more active with opening hours extending far beyond the school day, seven days per week.