There has never been a better time to promote sport and physical activity as a way of keeping well and prolonging life spans. So how are we doing in York?
Figures released a couple of weeks ago confirmed that more young children are getting obese. In reception classes 7.5% were recorded as obese in 11/12 compared to 5.50% a year earlier. Unfortunately by year 6 the numbers classed as obese have increased to 14.7% (up from 14.00%).
So the Council, schools and the NHS need to up their game?
Some sound decisions were made during the last decade about the need to invest more in sports facilities in York.
Sports centres
In 2009 a new swimming pool was opened at the Energise sports centre http://www.york.gov.uk/leisure/sports/Sports_facilities/energise/ which shared the campus of the largest secondary school in York (York High).
Modern gym, fitness and climbing facilities were complemented by renewed out door all weather pitches. The centre is so successful that the gym area is now being almost doubled in size. The new York High school officially became a specialist sports college and – coincidentally – produced some of the best exam results of any school in Yorkshire.
Facilities in west York were also improved when the new Manor school http://www.mce.york.sch.uk/ was opened
In east York, Huntington school http://www.huntingtonschool.co.uk/community-sports/facilities had always provided outdoor sports pitches while in 2008 the Yearsley swimming pool http://www.york.gov.uk/leisure/sports/Sports_facilities/Yearsley_swimming_pool/ received a £1 million modernisation make over.
The pool is ideal for “fitness” swimmers having a unique 50 yard length.
New swimming pool opens on Tuesday
The, then Liberal Democrat led, Council decided in 2010 to join a partnership with the University of York to provide a state of the art “Sports Village” on Hull Road http://www.york-sport.com/york_sport_village.php. which incorporates a competition standard swimming pool.
The new pool there opens next Tuesday (14th August). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FAIymiWaHGU
The facilities will include:
• Eight-lane 25m competition standard swimming pool
• 18 metre learner pool
• Fully floodlit competition size outdoor 3G football pitch
• Three outdoor 3G five-a-side pitches
• A 120-station fitness suite with integrated TVs
• Three air-conditioned studios for classes such as spinning and yoga
• Spa facilities, including sauna and steam rooms
• A café offering Costa Coffee and snacks
Later a new athletics stadium will be added together with an outdoor 1km road cycling circuit.
Separately a new spectator sports stadium is being constructed at Monks Cross.
The new pool received a Lottery grant, while both York Rowing Club and Wigginton Squash Club benefited from the Inspired Facilities fund from Sport England http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/places_people_play.aspx
Taken with the large number of new private sports clubs and other school based facilities, York now has some of the best sports facilities available for a City of its size in the country.
So bring home the gold medals then?
Not quite. As the statistics on obesity show there is still a lot to do.
A quick look at the Councils web site will show that – at a time when people are most likely to be looking around to see what is available – much of the information shown is out of date. For example, most of the dates for “taster” sessions at local sports clubs have already passed.
broken glass and neglect at kick about area
Labour’s changes to the Council’s budget in February were bad news for sports activities. Cuts were made to Ward Committee funding (90% reduction) which meant that services like “Street Sport” were virtually eliminated. Facilities, built at a cost of tens thousands of pounds like the multi user games area at Hob Moor school, lie empty and neglected.
Next year, many sports clubs like the Railway Institute and the York Indoor Bowls Club stand to lose their discretionary rate relief costing them around £10,000 and £3500 a year respectively.
School meal prices have been increased at a time when the battle against a dependence on junk food needs to be intensified.
The Council shortly takes on a “public health” responsibility which it last exercised 40 years ago. With its inexperienced ruling “Cabinet” in the middle of more chaotic change, the additional responsibility seems ill timed. Early decisions do not reveal an activity centered approach to health priorities.
The situation in local primary schools echos the national picture. Some emphasise sports and healthy living in their prospectus. Others pointedly fail to do so.
The overall responsibility for driving forward fitness type activities rests with an organisation called “Active York”. It has done little in the last 6 months which has had a high profile. They promised a new web site in early 2012 but it still hasn’t arrived http://activeyork.org/
Active York has an impressive list of board members but it seems to lack a convincing engagement strategy at the moment.
What the City now needs urgently is a Manifesto for Sport.
Opportunities to change the views and lifestyles of large numbers of people come along only rarely.
York is in danger of squandering the Olympic legacy. A more focused professional approach is needed.
