York Knights Rugby in Westfield over next few weeks as new stadium deal is signed

Knights summer programme
York City Knights sign new Community Stadium deal

Today marks a significant milestone in the Community Stadium project, which has seen the York City Knights officially sign an agreement with the council over a new Community Stadium partnership.

A Council media release says “York City Knights’ Directors joined Cllr Nigel Ayre (Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism), Cllr Chris Steward (Leader of City of York Council) and Tim Atkins (Community Stadium Project Manager) at the council’s West Offices today to formalise the contractual agreement and cement a new chapter in the stadium project”.

The York Community Stadium partners had hoped to provide a new 8,000 seat stadium for football and rugby league, a leisure facility which would include a gym, 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool, a fun pool and training pool, as well as a new sports hall and dance studio. The Community Hub on site would provide bespoke facilities for project partners with a focus on promoting health and well-being for York residents and visitors. The development also included a number of new retail units restaurants and a multi-screen cinema complex.

Concerns about the ability of the Council to fund all aspects of the project were raised earlier today.

It is unclear from the Council’s media release whether the Rugby Club will be given the use of Bootham Crescent in the period leading up to the opening of any new stadium
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Lifestyle 2015 – launched by Police today!

North Yorkshire Police have officially launched the Lifestyle Challenge 2015.

North Yorkshire Police Lifestyle Challenge Awards 2014

Now in its third year, the competition runs over the summer holidays and aims to give young people aged 10 – 17 a positive project to do over the long break, giving them the opportunity to improve the quality of life in their community.

The teams have to think of a project that they can carry out over the summer holidays that is of benefit to someone or something in the community. They then have until the start of September to work on their project, recording all they do in a log book provided by the police. The log books are then submitted for judging, with the winners attending a glittering awards ceremony in November to receive their prizes, which include PGL adventure holidays, mountain bikes and Kindle Fires.

Projects carried out in previous years include “5ICE” from Selby who cleared gardens in sheltered accommodation and then made and cited nesting boxes; “The Yorkies” who created an outside relaxation area at a local club for disabled youngsters and then raised funds to buy sports equipment; and “Bogus Babes” from Stokesley who launched an anti-crime initiative to warn people about bogus doorstep callers.

Teams wanting to take part can register online at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/lifestyle. They will be sent a registration pack, including a log book to record all their work, a handbook with lots of help and advice, and Company Challenges. These are sponsored by local businesses and agencies and are full of ideas for projects in case the teams are a bit stuck. The first 100 young people to register also receive a limited edition Lifestyle 2015 t-shirt.

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PC Suzanne Asquith, Youth Engagement Officer at North Yorkshire Police, said: “2015 is going to be a fantastic year for Lifestyle. We have got a lot of exciting challenges from our community safety partners and local NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups as well as Hiscox, Shepherd Group and Virgin Trains East Coast. I am also very pleased that this year York City Football Club Foundation have joined us with a brilliant sporting challenge.”

This year a new category has been introduced so entire youth groups or uniformed organisations such as Guides or Scouts can take part. Teams in the Youth Group Division can win a monetary prize to be spent by the group on whatever equipment or activities they like.

PC Asquith added: “The Lifestyle Challenge benefits so many people. Young people can be recognised as having made a positive contribution to their neighbourhood, while the community benefits from new play equipment, cleaner green spaces, conservation areas, family fun days or crime reduction projects.

“It’s a great way to spend the summer and can bring some amazing results. We are very fortunate in being able to hold our awards ceremony once again at York Racecourse and I am looking forward to seeing what the teams come up with this year!”