Last updated at 17:01, Friday, 25 January 2013

A £150,000 funding award to create an athletics track at a school has been declared “fantastic news” for the local community.

• Related article: New Barrow athletics track to train stars of the future

As revealed in yesterday’s Evening Mail, Furness Academy has won a grant towards building a competition standard sports track on its Barrow grounds through Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Fund.

The secondary school made the application in conjunction with its bid partners Barrow Borough Council, Barrow Striders, and with the support of the local authority, Cumbria County Council.

Furness Academy principal, Douglas Blackledge said: “It’s fantastic news for the academy, for the town of Barrow and for the wider sporting community of Cumbria and further afield that this grant offer has been made.

“Working with our bid partners of Barrow Borough Council, Barrow Striders, other business sponsors, and with the support of the local authority, a competition standard licensed running track in Barrow on the site of the new Furness Academy is now a possibility.”

Mr Blackledge outlined that there is still much more work to be done.

He said: “The award is made by Sport England, supported by lottery funding, under the ‘Places People Play’ London 2012 Olympic legacy.

“The £150,000 grant services only a part of the capital outlay required to make the project viable, but with the contributions of our bid partners, alongside a substantial contribution which we hope to secure and confirm at a later stage, we are hopeful that we will be able to continue within the timeline set by Sport England.

“The grant award is really exciting and is most welcome news for all concerned, but it is only the first step in a long process of turning this dream into a reality and there are some significant obstacles still to be overcome along the way.

“In consultation with relevant partners the academy’s sponsors and governors will now be considering how best to proceed following this announcement.”

First published at 16:43, Friday, 25 January 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk