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Leeds served a Lottery ace
24/10/05
British tennis prospects, twin brothers Martin and Dan Regan, accepted a National Lottery Blue Plaque from Dianne Thompson, Chief Executive of National Lottery operator Camelot, on behalf of The Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre at Leeds Metropolitan University.
The National Lottery Blue Plaque was presented as part of the celebrations leading up to National Lottery Day on 5 November. National Lottery Day recognises and celebrates the difference Lottery funding has made to people and communities across the UK.
Leeds Metropolitan University was awarded a National Lottery grant of £1.25 million from Sport England in 1999 to build The Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre. The Centre now consists of four indoor courts and eight outdoor courts and has become one of the UK’s leading centres for the development of junior players.
The National Lottery is helping Martin, Dan and other future tennis stars achieve their ambitions by funding a comprehensive development and expansion of facilities that has made this centre one of the best equipped of its kind. The twins train full-time at The Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre and play on the International Junior Circuit. Dan Regan recently won the GB Nike Tour, and will now be playing in the Nike Junior Tour Tournament in Nice, France where he will be competing against 84 players from 21 countries.
David Gent, Regional Director, Sport England Yorkshire, said: “We
are delighted to have invested National Lottery funding into
The Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre. It is a great example of
how elite and community sport can work hand-in-hand to create
our next generation of athletes and help inspire the local community
to get active and improve their lifestyles.
“
The facilities here are second to none and I hope both elite
athletes and the local community continue to take advantage of
them.”
Louise Assioun, Tennis Development Officer at The Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre, said: “We are very pleased to receive a National Lottery Blue Plaque in recognition of our Lottery grant from Sport England. The funding has made an invaluable contribution to sport at Leeds Metropolitan University and also to the local area. Dan and Martin are two in a group of talented young players based at the centre.”
More than £3 billion of Lottery funding has been invested into sport in the UK since The National Lottery began in 1994, from grass roots through to elite athletes. Over £35 million has been distributed to 173 projects in Leeds by Sport England alone. This has helped a wide range of other local organisations, such as Headingley Carnegie Stadium and Milford Rugby Leeds Club.
In a recent report by Yorkshire Forward and Sport England into Sport in Yorkshire, The Carnegie Centre for Sports Science (of which the tennis centre is part) was singled out as an international centre of sporting excellence, which could be used as a preparatory venue for competitors in London 2012 Olympics.
National Lottery Day will be held on 5 November 2005 and is all
about celebrating the difference that Lottery funding has made
in the UK. Many Lottery-funded projects will be holding special
events and promotions in the weeks running up to, and on, National
Lottery Day to celebrate the £17 billion that has been
raised for over 200,000 grants to projects across the UK. For
more information please visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.
