Endorsements

"For several years, the Sports Partnership has been striving to achieve better sports facilities in the Leigh area. Through this project we now have the means to achieve a fabulous flagship scheme for Leigh around which all sorts of wonderful new ways of expanding sport can be developed.

The clubs, the sportsmen and women, the children and students, the spectators, the schools and wider community will all benefit immensely. It's a project which both warrants and receives our overwhelmed and enthusiastic support."

Trevor Barton - Chairman, Leigh & District Sports Development Partnership.

"This exciting project would put pride back into Leigh. It would give our young people access to first-class educational and sports facilities and improve quality of live for all. It will also help transform the image of the town, acting as a catalyst for future regeneration."

I have championed the concept of the Leigh Sports Village all the way and am thrilled by the ground breaking project that has emerged. It has all the qualities necessary to atract strong financial support"

Andy Burhnham MP - Member for the Leigh Parliamentary Constituency.

"The College has a pressing need to renew and upgrade the facilities we offer in the Leigh area. In particular, our present campus at Marshall Street is very outdated and is very unattractive to students.

This poor condition has been recognised at Ministerial level and it is believed that finding for a replacement should be a shared priority for all concerned.

This Sports Village project involves exactly the right mix of sporting and other uses to complement new College facilities and provide us with an attractive and vibrant setting. It will also give us access to superb sports facilities - both indoor and outdoor and provide enormous educational benefits for the area as a whole"

Jim Crewdson - Principal, Wigan & Leigh College

"To expand opportunities for wider participation in sport is a key objective of the Council. The resonates well with all of the principles which guide our work and forms a pivotal element in the Community Plan for the Borough.

The project is extremely important for the people of Leigh as it will provide access to top quality sports facilities to serve the eastern section of the Borough. This superb scheme does exactly that and in the process it brings benefits to a wide cross section of the whole community.

The scheme will also be an important catalyst for further economic development and will help to reinforce a positive image for the Borough and the wider region"

Lord Smith of Leigh - Leader of Wigan Council

"As Headteacher of Westleigh High school I represent all Leigh schools on the Borough’s NOF Sport steering group on the Chief Executives Development Group.

I believe passionately that Leigh needs the Sports Village.  I think its location is ideal and that any minor concerns e.g. traffic growth will be far outweighed by the massive benefits the Sports Village will bring to the town.

The following are reasons why I support Leigh Sports Village:

Its about time Leigh had more investment in sports facilities than Wigan.  At present if we want to use all Weather facilities for Athletics, soccer or any other sport we have to bus our pupils to Wigan.  Leigh Sports Village will be the centre of activity for school sport.

Leigh produces a large number of talented sports people, who seem to have to reach the top by playing away from Leigh.  The Sports Village will enable our top sports people to reach the top in Leigh.  As a Saints Season ticket holder I am delighted that players of the calibre of Mickey Higham and Tommy Martyn play for St Helens, but shouldn’t they be playing for Leigh in Super League?  Super League will not happen for Leigh without the Sports Village.

Due to the poor facilities at Marshall Street a large number of students are leaving Leigh to do their  A levels at places like Winstanley College.  Leigh children deserve a first class 16+ education college.  The proposed college facilities as part of the Sports Village complex will provide just such a venue.  We have to stop the brain drain from Leigh.

Westleigh is part of the School Sport Co-ordinator scheme which enables a high school PE teacher to work with Primary Teachers, primary children and local coaches to raise the standard of PE and sport at Primary level.  In January 2004 we will get via NOF an all weather pitch with floodlights and fencing.  Similar facilities will eventually be installed in most high schools in the borough.

These initiatives are aimed at raising the standard of sport for young people in Leigh.  The Sports Village will enable the links between junior sport and its progression to adult sport to be excellent.  At present the biggest drop out rate in participation is sport is in 15-17 year olds.  The Sports Village will stop that.

Finally Leigh suffers from being near the top of the table for Juvenile Crime and being near the bottom of the table for health.  The Sports Village will help Leigh to reduce crime and boost our health.

All of the above makes the case for Leigh Sports Village irresistible.  Lets not lose this opportunity to provide all of the people of Leigh with something we can all be very proud of"

J Pout - Headteacher, Westleigh High School