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03 June 2008
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A teenager from east London gave a crash course in canoeing to Worthing West MP Peter Bottomley last week.
Laurence O’Riordan, 19, took to the water at Hackney’s Leaside centre on Friday 31 May 2008 to show the Sussex MP the basics as part of a Sport England scheme linking the worlds of sport and politics.
Peter Bottomley MP, who has been twinned with the British Canoe Union, is one of 15 parliamentarians taking part in Sport England’s Parliamentary Sports Fellowship Scheme which gives MPs and Peers a unique insight into sport from grassroots right up to competition level.
Laurence, who says he had a difficult upbringing and struggled with school as a young teen, is now a level three canoe coach and regularly volunteers helping Leaside’s 15,000 visitors a year. He first visited the centre when he was 12 years old and has stayed committed to the facility ever since.
Talking about the experience, Laurence said:
“Showing Peter Bottomley how to canoe was just part of my day job at Leaside. I hope his visit will persuade more politicians to take an interest in sport and encourage more people to come to here.”
Mr Bottomley praised the excellent work of Leaside Chief Executive Mickey Gordon. He said:
“We should use our eyes and our ears more to see what people like Mickey have managed to achieve here and meet people, whatever their age, to see the contribution they are making. If you give people the opportunity they can achieve miracles.”
Mr Bottomley was also impressed by the way the trust is giving scores of local teenagers, such as Laurence, a sense of belonging and purpose as well as the opportunity to hone new skills. He added:
“Leaside provides a great contribution towards people’s enjoyment and their lives. The more young people who get the chance of coming here; the better it would be for everyone.
“Laurence has kindly taken me out and to see the confidence he can give to other people, as well as achieving more in his exams, things he missed out on in school – it’s a very warming thing to be able to watch.”
Sport England Chief Executive, Jennie Price, explained the importance of the visits by MPs and Peers to centres such as Leaside. She said:
“Sport should be fun and life-enhancing but it also needs to be taken seriously by decision makers and opinion formers.
“The Sport England Parliamentary Sports Fellowship Scheme seeks to provide Parliamentarians with an enjoyable – and informative – insight into the world of professional, amateur and grass-roots sport. Sport England is delighted to have facilitated this scheme.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Sport England Parliamentary Sports Fellowship Scheme is giving 15 MPs, the opportunity to spend seven days with one of the nation’s best known sporting organisations to promote a better understanding between the worlds of sport and politics. The Scheme is a cross-party initiative sponsored in Parliament by Derek Wyatt MP, Hugh Robertson MP and Bob Russell MP.
MPs and Peers taking part in the scheme this year (and their sporting organisations) are listed below:
To find out more about the scheme, click here
Sport England is a non-departmental public body and National Lottery distributor. We are committed to creating a world leading community sports development system and increasing participation in sport. Sport England has been a statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing fields since August 1996. We object to any application that is detrimental to sport, unless alternative provision of at least equivalent value is found elsewhere.
Leaside is an outdoor educational pursuits centre run by the Leaside Educational Trust for young people in the East London area. It’s staff and over 40 volunteers are all experienced youth workers. For more information, visit: http://www.leaside.co.uk/default.asp
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