Rory welcomes more money for primary school sport

An extra £2,328,300 will go to primary schools across Cumbria to transform school sport, improve coaching for the youngest pupils and inspire the Olympic and Paralympic stars of the future.

London 2012 gave Britain a once in a lifetime opportunity to inspire a nation to enjoy sport and the Government wants to embed that into the school day from an early age. The Prime Minister has announced a £150 million Olympic legacy fund to improve the quality of provision in every state primary school in England.

Rory said: ‘Young people across Cumbria will benefit from this announcement – particularly as the lump sum element of the premium favours our small, rural schools, who will receive more money per pupil to put towards sports and coaching. Despite our distance from London, this money will help to ensure that even the remotest corners of Cumbria can share in the Olympic legacy and will hopefully support our gold medal winners of the future.’

Prospective County Councillor for the rural Kirkby Stephen division Libby Bateman said: “This funding is a welcome boost for primary schools across the area that will see an additional forty thousand pounds shared between the five primary schools in Kirkby Stephen division, which includes Brough, Ravenstonedale, Tebay and Orton.

“The formula for allocating the fund will bring a greater benefit to smaller rural primary schools and will give the children an opportunity to explore fun ways to getting active and participate in sport.”

The Prime Minister, David Cameron said: ‘The Olympic and Paralympic Games marked an incredible year for this country and I will always be proud that we showed the world what Britain can do. I want to ensure the Games count for the future too and that means capitalising on the inspiration young people took from what they saw during those summer months. This investment will benefit a whole generation of children for many years to come.’

Olympic gold winner, Jess Ennis CBE said: “It is great to see initiatives that help to give really young children the chance to take part in sport. This latest funding for primary schools sounds fantastic – now whether in an inner city or small rural community, young kids will be introduced to fun ways to be active that will spark an interest in taking part in sport as they grow up.”

Double Olympic Champion, Mo Farah CBE said: “It is great to see a commitment to funding school sport and that it is something I passionately believe in. I am very excited to know that lots of children will be able to get involved in sport while at school and get more help from teachers and coaches. It really is very important.”