Brand new basketball and cycling facilities have opened in Cadishead Park today to support disadvantaged young people.
The new facilities, aimed to empower underprivileged and disabled people, have been supported by the national sport inclusion charity Access Sport. After being in development for two years, the high-quality space is now available for the residents in the area to get active and connect.
Salford City Council, London Marathon Foundation, the Ernest Hecht Charitable Foundation, Booth Charities and Hamilton Davies Trust have all partnered to make this opening possible.
This BMX pump track becomes the second in Salford that Access Sport has supported, after opening one in Little Hulton in 2021. This track is now a thriving community hub and the group expects nothing less this time around.
Serving underprivileged communities is a huge section of Access Sport’s daily mission. They intend to make inclusion the norm by removing the barriers placed before disadvantaged young people on a national scale.
Tom Dixon is the director of fundraising and communications for Access Sport. He emphasised how important sport and physical activity is for the development of children and their futures.
He said: “It’s really important to have facilities like this to be able to build those skills and have those prospects later in life.
“Sports skills also reflect into jobs that young people will enter later in life, such as teamwork and the feeling of losing and trying again.”
The Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, was in attendance at the opening event today. He said: “This is what really matters to the people of Cadishead.
The Mayor praised Access Sport and other community charities in the area for hosting a safe space for children to come and pour their energy into.
“We need to support and nurture people within the community to be able to build the confidence to use these facilities”
“The magic isn’t the infrastructure of the facility, the magic is people coming here, spending time with one another and forming a community.
“This is job started, not job done,” he said.
Mr Dennett discussed during his opening speech how Salford has been identified as the 18th poorest authority in the country – highlighting the importance of new infrastructure aimed at supporting young people in the city.
Lewis Nelson, Councillor for Cadishead, has lived in Irlam his whole life and said: “Opportunities and places like this just didn’t exist for me growing up in this area.
“I think growing up in Irlam and Cadishead now is a much better experience for children and young people.”
Mishal Saeed, Councillor for Higher Irlam and Peel Green, says she is “really keen to see this facility used properly by young people.
“It won’t just be fun for them but it’ll be great for their health and well-being,” she added.
Following today’s event, Access Sport will be activating a community club for both the basketball court and BMX track to ensure their long-term impact in the area. They have also committed to providing similar sports-based facilities in areas that face deprivation and lack of resources for young people.
Further information, including volunteering opportunities for Access Sport can be found here.
Recent Comments