A gospel choir was started as a result of the development of facilities for music, drama and sport at Woodlands Primary School at Medway in Kent.

The choir is just one of many community groups which has taken advantage of investment in primary school sport and arts facilities through the Space for Sport and Arts programme.

Space for Sport and Arts is a £134m programme which has funded almost 300 new or modernised facilities for sport and arts at primary schools. Administered by Sport England it aims to enhance the opportunities for children to participate in sport and arts activities, particularly in deprived areas. It is part Lottery and part Government funded and is backed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Education and Skills, Arts Council England, and the Big Lottery Fund, as well as Sport England.

The Woodlands School was awarded a grant of £654,345 towards the development of their sport and arts facilities. This enabled them to modernise and enhance a multi-purpose area with the provision of music rehearsal rooms, a recording suite and space for dance and drama.

The dance studio doubles as the local church on a Sunday morning and it was this that led to the formation of the gospel choir.

An existing four-court sports hall was also upgraded with the addition of a new reception area and improved disabled access.

‘Revenue’ investment was also made over a three-year period to enable the school to encourage more community use of the facilities, extending the impact of this development.  This has been achieved to a remarkable degree, with a variety of community groups and classes now using the facility on a regular basis, including yoga, dance, keep fit, football and music lessons.

In addition numerous community events have been staged at the school in the past year, including a Spring music festival, Medway arts workshop, Stagecoach Theatre Company meetings, music and dance exams and conferences.

Woodlands School factfile

• In the first year after the opening of the improved facilities in April 2004, there was an average of over 1,000 community users every week.
• 15 per cent of the local population used the site in the first year – compared with five per cent previously.
• Local MP Paul Clark staged a charity event at the centre in aid of Cancer Research
• A girls junior football team has chosen the site as their home ground
• The school’s booking schedule is now full on a regular basis from 9am to 10pm throughout the year and has become a key focus for the local community.