Hove school wins funding for outdoor gym

Hove Park School, which has 1,750 pupils, will build a new outdoor gym and workout rig at the school’s Valley Campus, after being awarded the money by Brighton-based financial services company OneFamily as part of its Community Awards. The new workout area will contain a selection of cardiovascular and resistance fitness equipment, as well as an exercise frame. The children will be able to use the area during both PE lessons and at break times, and all equipment will be linked to an iPad app that will monitor pupils exercise and provide incentives to win prizes. Mark Fotiadis, who has a Junior ISA with OneFamily for his son Max, put the school forward because Max, 15, is a pupil there. PE teacher Alex Mack said: “The kids here love sport but the school’s facilities have suffered from a lack of investment over many years. “A lot of our sports kit is old-fashioned and worn out, so this new equipment will bring the school into the 21st century. It will help us to promote the physical and psychological benefits of sport and, hopefully, encourage more students to exercise outside of lessons. “The community was amazing when we were rallying for votes and we were overwhelmed by the number of people who shared our story and voted for us.” Headteacher Jim Roberts said: “Winning this award has really demonstrated our school vision statement of Together We Achieve. “The whole school community responded and got behind our bid. It really galvanised parents, staff and the wider community and we’re very proud of what we have achieved.” The school hopes this will encourage more pupils to take part in sport and help them to understand the importance of exercising regularly. The awards are part of the OneFamily Foundation and were created to give OneFamily customers the opportunity to support projects in their area that matter to them and their families. This year’s awards saw customers nominating projects to win £5,000, £10,000 or £25,000 across four categories and Hove Park School is one of 32 organisations to have won an award in this latest round. Guy French, corporate and customer strategy director at OneFamily said: “Sport doesn’t just help young people stay healthy; it’s a vital part of their all-round education and social development too. “The projects that the awards support are all very special to our customers and make a positive difference in their local communities. “We are a customer-owned business and for us it’s not just about offering financial products and services. The OneFamily Foundation is a way that we give something back to our customers, and each year we give hundreds of thousands of pounds to causes that matter to them most. “Last year, we touched the lives of more than 100,000 people through our awards and grants, and this year we hope to make the Community Awards even bigger and better.”