Community centre is villagers' hub

People living in the isolated rural community of Woolfardisworthy in North Devon are making good use of their multi-purpose sport and community centre.

The centre, which was completed in 2001 with the aid of a £880,000 investment of Lottery funds from Sport England, accommodates a wide range of activities.

Badminton is played in the main hall and a smaller hall houses short mat bowls and skittles. There is also a snooker room and a meeting room is regularly used as a creche and a weekly doctor’s surgery.

Outside there is a landscaped amphitheatre - ideal for community events in the summer - and a lawn which is suitable for croquet.

The centre, which cost a total of £1.2m, also  has a kitchen, reception/office and changing rooms and the whole building was designed to be low maintenance and have a high energy-efficient factor.

Needless to say, since its completion the hall has played an integral part in community life.

Woolfardisworthy Sports and Community Hall factfile

• Over 16,000 people use the facility helping Sport England towards its targets of increasing participation by 1% a year up to 2020
• Over 6000 male and female under 18’s have used the facility
• 70 young players play in the youth football teams
• Competitive tennis and short mat bowls leagues have been formed
• The number of parent volunteers with FA football level 1 qualifications has risen from 2 to 7
• The facility is open 70 hours a week for sporting activity

"The multi-sport hub concept has proven to be one of the most effective means to bring sport and physical activity directly into communities. This new approach focuses on the development of community hubs that combine multiple sports and activities and also have the potential to bring health, social welfare and educational services together under one roof. Sport England has committed to developing a network of multi-sport hubs across the country to boost the number of people actively engaged in sport."

To find out more about the Everyday Sport campaign, for activities taking place in your area and simple tips on how to get active, log onto www.everydaysport.com or call the Everyday Sport hotline: 0800 587 6000.