Get active in Bexley!
14 August 2012
With Olympic fever sweeping the nation, you might be feeling inspired to take up a sport yourself. Well, luckily, the London Borough of Bexley boasts a huge range of sporting facilities and physical activities for you to get involved in.
At www.bexley.gov.uk/sports you will find all the information you need to get started. There is a handy A to Z of sports and clubs in the borough, as well as different courses, events and projects that can help you be more physical active in your day-to-day life.
We have seen from London 2012 how the borough's state-of-the-art Olympic legacy facilities are already nurturing the next generation of sporting stars - weightlifters Zoe Smith from Abbey Wood (a former Townley Grammar student) and Jack Oliver from Bexleyheath, both train at the Europa Centre in Crayford under coach Andy Callard. There are rising stars at Erith Yacht Club too, which offers a range of options for membership and courses, whatever your age. Both facilities are open for all Bexley residents to enjoy and celebrate for many years to come.
It was through the Europa Centre that Zoe found her passion for her current sport and hasn't looked back since. She said; "I wasn't aware of it when I joined, but Europa was a multisport centre. Andy, the weightlifting coach, had asked owner Yvonne Arnold to look out for girls who might be up for the challenge of making up the numbers in the London Youth Games team. Andy immediately spotted my potential and told my mum after about my second session that he thought I could "go all the way". I'm not sure that even he really meant all the way to East London for the Olympics though!
Zoe continues; "Neither Jack or I would have been in the sport if it hadn't been for Europa Gymnastics Centre throwing its doors open to other sports. We had trained there as gymnasts first and were able to benefit from Andy Callard opening his weightlifting club there. Without clubs it isn't possible to give opportunities to young people to try their hand at different sports to find where their talent may lie. I will be forever indebted both to Andy and to Europa."
Fellow GB team member Jack Oliver said; "My journey all began at Bexley's Europa Gym, where I began training aged 14 with coach Andrew Callard, and also the support of several other Europa coaches. Training with the club I quickly became one of the best youth lifters in the country, as well as having a great time in the gym because of the excellent training environment which involved hard training but was also fun.
"There is a wealth of local and accessible opportunities in the borough for people of all ages to be active and healthy," explains Cllr Don Massey, the Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure. "These opportunities, if taken up, can help us to tackle health problems such as obesity. We have no excuses here in Bexley and nothing to lose. Who knows - we may even inspire some budding medal winners for 2016!"
For those wanting to make the most of the sports available in the school holidays, the Council's Summer Sizzler magazine, available now in Libraries and online, is jam-packed with information about activities happening all over the borough. There are also 100 parks and open spaces to enjoy, which include facilities like boating, tennis and golf, children's playgrounds and splash parks as well as London's Green Chain Walk.
So, why not visit www.bexley.gov.uk/sports and be inspired to choose a sport or activity to suit you? Whether it's Taekwondo or tea dancing - just 30 minutes of physical activity a day is all it takes for a fitter, healthier you!
