Latest news

Win two tickets for AEGON International

tennis eastbourne

Calling all Sport Makers – Active Sussex has a pair of tickets up for grabs for the AEGON International Tennis Tournament in Eastbourne this June.

In partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, Active Sussex is offering a lucky Sport Maker the opportunity to win two tickets to the AEGON International Tennis Tournament, which takes place 15-22 June.

To win the tickets we are asking you to complete 10 Sport Maker hours specifically through tennis. So dust off those racquets, don some shorts, if you dare, and enjoy the summer season of tennis!

You could head to your local park with your mates and have a game, or help out at your local tennis club. This is your opportunity to make tennis happen at any level, and you could be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize.

How to Enter

Email Gina Rogers at grogers@activesussex.org outlining what you have done to achieve your 10 Sport Maker hours through tennis. It may be that you have already completed a few hours and you need to top up the rest. This is absolutely fine – as long as you complete the full 10 hours you will be eligible to win. Please also include your contact details: full name, email address, postal address (suitable for receiving tickets) and a contact telephone number.

Pictures of you playing tennis are welcome and encouraged! Share your photos on our Sussex Sport Makers Facebook page

For further information on clubs and courts in your area please visit www.lta.org.uk/allplaytennis/ type in your postcode and away you go.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 31 May. You will need to be available on Monday 17 June to attend the tournament.

07 May 2013 16:43

Volunteers to retrace Olympic Torch Relay one year on

torch relay

People across the country are coming together in celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay's one-year anniversary with a unique programme of events and celebrations retracing the journey of the Olympic flame.

Starting on May 19 in Land's End, the Community Games "shine a light" relay will follow the route of last year's Olympic and Paralympic torch relay route across England,

03 May 2013 10:46

Sports scheme goes behind bars at Lewes Prison

lewes prison web

Inmates at HM Prison Lewes will be able to take part in sports sessions and train to become qualified table tennis coaches this summer, thanks to an innovative Sportivate project run jointly by Brighton Table Tennis Club and Active Sussex.

Prisoners who complete one of the two eight-week courses will be supported to train as ETTA Level 1 coaches. On release, those who qualify will be offered

11 April 2013 12:21

Sport England invests extra £24m in youth sport programme

Wakeboarder Lily Mcbride, who coached last year's Sportivate Wakeboarding for Girls at Hove Lagoon Watersports, funded by Active Sussex

Sport England has allocated £24m worth of funding to extend its Sportivate programme.

The scheme, which will run until 2017, has been designed to help 14- to 25-year-olds to get involved in sports by offering discounted and free sessions in sports ranging from judo and tennis to wakeboarding. It is delivered by the network of 49 county sports partnerships, working with local clubs and providers.

It aims to give young people - who currently aren't playing sport in their own time - the chance to find a sport they like. The young people are then helped to find a club or venue where they can keep taking part. Research shows that most of the young people are sticking with sport three months after they've completed the Sportivate course.

New figures published today show almost 190,000 teenagers and young adults have so far benefitted from free or discounted six- to eight-week sport courses through Sportivate. Of these, 156,547 have successfully completed their coaching course, missing no more than one session.

Sport England chief executive Jennie Price, said: "Sportivate's success is built on listening to what young people want from sport and then giving them great opportunities to get involved.

"With dozens of traditional and non-traditional sports on offer, lots of young people are getting active and discovering a sport they really enjoy and want to keep playing."

11 April 2013 09:33

The tip-off: top five Sussex basketball courts

miguel tello

England Basketball's Miguel Tello chooses his top five places to play ball in Sussex.

1. Brighton Beach Seafront Court

Free to use and open year round, the court on Brighton's iconic seafront is the unofficial hub for street ball in Sussex.

Miguel says: " A fantastic location, with load of passers by, means this is busy all year round with a readymade audience to watch your skills."

Best

05 April 2013 00:00

Treble honours for Sussex at English Schools cross country finals

The Senior Girls team won the English Schools team event, and the Foyston trophy

The Sussex schools squad had a fantastic day of running on an extremely muddy course at the English Schools Athletic Association cross country championships, Catton Hall, Derbyshire, on 16 March, with three of its six teams winning trophies.

First up for honours were the junior boys, who won the Lockhurst Lane trophy, awarded to the first team to get all eight of its runners home. Archie Davies (Patcham), leading the field for Sussex, came 12th overall.

The Senior girls won the team event and the Foyston trophy with Grace Baker (Rye) leading home her Sussex team mates in a brilliant fifth position, with Nicole Taylor (Beacon) 10th, Emma Dixon (BHASVIC) 24th, Maddy Smith (St. Bedes) 50th, Mylene Schuwey (Hailsham) 92nd and Megan Bradford (Varndean) 103rd making up the six scorers.

The Intermediate boys were the revelation of the day with Stephen Ferroni (BACA) coming in 10th to be the first Sussex scorer. The team won the Yorkshire cup, 67 points ahead of nearest rivals Kent. With Billy White (Patcham) in 13th, Josh Woods (Blatch Mill) in 17th, Jake Alger (Seaford Head) in 19th, Harry Leleu (Seaford Coll) in 32nd and Jack Witt (Brighton coll) in 38th, all six scorers finished in the top 40.

The Intermediate Boys team secured the Yorkshire Cup

26 March 2013 15:58

Legacy fund 'favours' four areas in Sussex for investment

gym

Sport England has announced 'favoured' areas for the latest round of its Inspired Facilities fund. In Sussex the areas are: Hastings, Adur, Eastbourne and Mid Sussex.

The latest round of Inspired Facilities is now open for applications and will close on 29 April. Billed as "an easier way to access facilities funding", 70 per cent of the fund is earmarked for community and voluntary organisations – including sports clubs – who can apply for grants worth between £20,000 and £50,000. Local authorities, statutory bodies and education establishments such as schools, can apply for grants between £20,000 and £150,000.

Due to the popularity of the programme, and based on experience from earlier rounds, Sport England has chosen to favour applications from certain areas and sports that have not received significant funds in the first three rounds. These two additional priorities will only come into effect when Sport England is considering a small number of projects on the cusp of being funded.

In Sussex, the four local authority areas to be 'favoured' are Hastings, Adur, Eastborune and Mid Sussex.

Needless to say, this does not mean that if an application is received from one of these areas that it will automatically be successful. It still has to be a very good project and will be assessed in the same way as all other applications.

Further details on local authority areas yet to submit a successful application can be downloaded here: inspiredfacilities.sportengland.org

Read on and apply

18 March 2013 10:53

£150m boost for primary school sport

school tennis

Primary schools across Sussex will each receive a cash boost worth £9,000 a year to spend on sport, the government announced on Saturday.

The ring-fenced money, totalling £150m nationally, will go directly into the hands of heads and teachers who will decide how the money is best spent.

Sport England, the national agency for community sport, is committing £1.5m a year of lottery funding

18 March 2013 09:00

Project 500 – More Women, Better Coaching

women rugby

Project 500 is a new campaign to address the imbalance in the numbers of male to female coaches. Devised by the seven South East county sports partnerships, the project aims to recruit 500 women to coaching over the next two years.

Launched on 8 March to mark International Women's Day, Project 500 is a pilot scheme, with plans to roll it out nationally after an initial trial period. Key to

05 March 2013 11:48

Funding boost for School Games

school games opening Competitors warm up at the inaugural Sussex School Games, K2 Crawley, July 2012

School sport in Sussex is set for a boost after Sport England announced additional National Lottery funding for Sainsbury's School Games Festivals.

The Sainsbury's School Games, which is delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, is jointly managed in Sussex by Active Sussex and the local organising committee as the Sussex School Games.

Sadie Mason, chief executive of Active Sussex, said: "We are very pleased to acknowledge the extra investment from Sport England in the Sussex School Games. The Games are a chance for Sussex schools to come together for a day of competition and celebration.

"Building on the incredible debut event in 2012, which saw 1,200 school children take part at K2 Crawley, we are thrilled that this year we will host two events in Sussex – a winter and summer games. Active Sussex is particularly proud that the first of these is being hosted by Lancing College."

The local organising committees for School Games festivals in the South East, which include Sussex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, are each to receive at least £45,000 of Lottery funding from Sport England which will help make their events a real celebration of sport.

In 2012, 14,660 young people took part in Sainsbury's School Games festivals across the South East, inspired by the incredible year of sport that the country witnessed. The events in the South East were made possible by the hard work schools and 1,247 volunteers, most of whom were young people themselves.

Sport England's Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: "Young people can look forward to an inspirational sporting experience at their local Sainsbury's School Games Festival, thanks to this lottery funding. Last year's events were a huge success - something everyone involved should feel proud of – and they're set to be even better in 2013."

John Steele, Chief Executive Officer at the Youth Sport Trust, said: "The Sainsbury's School Games Festivals offer young people a fantastic opportunity to take part and compete across a range of sports against their peers. The funding for these festivals will help make the events an exciting and inspiring occasion for those taking part."

The Susssex School Games Winter Finals take place on Wednesday 6 March at Lancing College. Special guest is Team GB Olympic hockey star Alex Danson

04 March 2013 11:51

Record numbers complete Brighton Half Marathon

half marathon crowds

A record number of runners crossed the finish line at the 23rd annual Brighton Half Marathon, which took place on Sunday 17 February in near perfect conditions.

Competitors faced a light easterly wind on an otherwise ideal day for running, finishing in front of enthusiastic crowds drawn to Brighton seafront by Sunday's blue skies and sunshine.

Paul Martelletti from Victoria Park Harriers dominated the men's field and came first in a gun time of 01:07:30, nearly a minute ahead of runner up Tom Aldred from London Heathside Runners. Ian Leitch from Phoenix AC took third place in 01:08:32.

In the women's race, first place was taken by Emma Taylor-Gooby (Worthing and District Harriers), who smashed the course record after crossing the finish line in a time of 01:18:06. Sarah Hill of Farnham Runners came second in 01:19:23 ahead of Kate Mapham from Ful-On Tri in 01:21:27.

The one-mile Youth Races saw 383 young runners take part, divided into four age categories (7-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17 years) with Benedict Pugh (Y15-17) taking the overall male title in 00:05:12 and Nancy Jones (Y13-14) from Brighton and Hove AC the first female to cross the finish line in 00:05:36.

The Brighton Half Marathon is organised by and is the main fundraiser for The Sussex Beacon, a unique centre providing innovative services to meet the changing needs of people living with HIV.

For details of all the finishers, go to www.brightonhalfmarathon.com

18 February 2013 11:25

Sports groups 'speed date' at network event

dyke Badminton England's Andy Dyke and Adur and Worthing's Tammy Waine

National Governing Bodies of sport made use of a quick-fire format to link with charities, local authorities, schools and FE reps at the Active Sussex Network meet on Tuesday. The event was a chance for Sussex NGB reps to outline their new plans, to be rolled out from April.

Sport England is investing £493m into 46 sports

14 February 2013 13:40

Lottery funds disability sport scheme for Brighton teenagers

archery Archery is one of six new activities on offer to disabled teenagers in Brighton and Hove

Disabled teenagers in Brighton and Hove will have more opportunities to get involved in sport after local charity Amaze won £78,761 of National Lottery funding from Sport England's Inclusive Sport Fund.

Amaze works with parents of disabled children in the city. Its leisure incentive 'Compass Card' for young people with significant additional needs, funded by Brighton & Hove City Council, has had a major impact in expanding leisure opportunities amongst a group that has a number of barriers to participation. In addition to discounts and free entry to leisure facilities, the Compass Card provides an expanding list of special needs-friendly classes called Compass Card Activities.

The new funding, which is spread over three years, will help Amaze launch six new Compass Card Activities aimed at 14-19 year olds. Amaze will work with local partners Adventure Unlimited, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Crew Club, Extratime, Freedom Leisure and Sussex Central YMCA to deliver the new activities.

“We’ll be launching a range of exciting new Compass Card Activities for teens: archery, climbing, kayaking, trampolining, a fitness class and a monthly activities club,” said Amaze CEO Rachel Travers. “Keeping fit and maintaining an interest in sport can be difficult for any teenager, but teens with special needs can face additional challenges. Our new activities, together with practical support to help teens access them, will make a real difference.”

Welcoming news of the distribution of Sport England Inclusive Sport Fund funding across the UK, Britain’s greatest Paralympian, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said: “This funding will go a long way to helping those inspired by the outstanding performances of our Paralympians this summer to get out and try sport for themselves. It’s fantastic to see such a wide range of organisations benefitting – all of them focused on helping more disabled people to discover how much sport has to offer.”

The new Compass Card Activities will start to be introduced in Brighton and Hove from April, with most up and running by the summer. The scheme will be launched at Brighton and Hove's Takepart International Festival of Sport, Preston Park, on 22 June 2013.

Amaze website

TakePart International Festival of Sport

05 February 2013 16:42

Gift Aid claims made easy for sports clubs

charity giftaid From April 2013, Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) and charities can make Gift Aid repayment claims electronically, making the process cheaper and more accurate and saving volunteers time and money.

The new service, called Charities Online, is being introduced to reduce form filling and will also be compatible for when CASCs or charities want to make claims under the new Gift Aid Small Donations scheme.

For more information about Charities Online visit the HMRC website page.

For more information about Community Amateur Sports Clubs, contact David Foster at the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

01 February 2013 09:43

Sussex School Games plans take shape

Representatives from across Sussex met at the University of Brighton on 13 July to discuss plans for the new School Games, which start next year.

"This is an opportunity to begin the task of ensuring all relevant groups are engaged with the School Games at an early stage, and that they are represented at the highest levels on the organising committee," said Active Sussex's Chief Executive Sadie Mason.

The School Games, a government backed Legacy initiative to raise the profile of competitive games in schools, is being piloted in nine regions and will launch nationally in Olympic year, 2012.

13 July 2011 16:36

Successful debut for coaches' breakfast

Active Sussex hosted a coaches' breakfast on the last Friday of Brighton and Hove's TakePart festival, adding a vital networking element to the successful fortnight of sporting events.

Over 20 coaches made their way to the Yellowave Beach Cafe on Brighton seafront at 7:30am on 8 July for coffee and pastries, before an hour of networking and discussion.

"We wanted to see if the breakfast meeting format, already well-established in the business world, would transfer to the coaching community," said Active Sussex's Anthony Statham, who organised the event.

"Judging by the turnout and feedback, this is clearly something we would look to repeat elsewhere in the county, as well as here in Brighton."

For more information on coaches' network meetings, contact Anthony Statham on astatham@activesussex.org or 01273 644149.

See all the photos from the coaches' breakfast

12 July 2011 13:26

What's on

Sussex leads the way in debate on school sport funding

mason steele

The future of school sport in Sussex was debated by over 100 stakeholders from the education, health and sport sectors at the Amex Stadium on 1 May at the first Sussex School Sport Summit.

The summit was organised by Albion in the Community and Active Sussex in response to the government’s announcement in March of a new £150 million funding package for school sport and PE provision – the equivalent of approximately £9,250 per year over the next two years for every primary school in England.

Over £4 million of the government’s funding, which will come from the Department of Education, Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, will be allocated to primary schools in Sussex.

Guests at the event examined the issues around the new funding. The general consensus was that pupils should be at the heart of the plans so they can be inspired by a high quality first experience of PE and school sport. A real interest was expressed to work inpartnership to maximise the opportunity presented, and create a sustainable legacy. Delegates recorded the hot topics on Twitter, allowing interested parties who could not attend to participate remotely.