Shropshire Star

Holiday sports programme welcomes netball

Telford & Wrekin Council’s free school holiday sports programme welcomed Telford Netball club to the running order during the recent half term.

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The club hosted a trial session at Donnington recreation ground as part of the Urban Games – a council-run free sports programme for young people aged eight plus.

Sessions are held in parks across Telford and Wrekin and supported by professional coaches with the next sessions due this summer.

More than 200 young people took part over four days where partners including Shropshire Cricket, AFC Telford United the Bike Hub and the netball club hosted free two-hour sessions.

Dr Bike also attended the Bike Hub on Friday, June 2, and helped repair children’s bikes for free.

Councillor Kelly Middleton, cabinet member for healthy, safer & stronger communities and partnerships said: “The Urban Games is a growing programme of activities that’s completely free and offers a couple of hours free sports coaching from professionals to keep kids engaged with something positive during the school holidays.

“The school holidays are long and it’s expensive too so these sessions are a place where kids can hang out with their friends, learn a new skill or just brush up on existing ones with help from real coaches.”

The project forms part of the Safer & Stronger Communities programme, funded in part by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The project aims to create community support projects and introduce safety measures, based on ideas and suggestions by residents.

Along with the Urban Games, youth and sport clubs, women’s self-defence classes, reading groups, even art and gardening groups are just a handful of projects the Safer & Stronger Communities team have helped set up in the last year.

The next sessions will be in the summer school holidays where Wrekin Riders and hockey will also join the line up.

Full details are available at Telford.gov.uk/Urbangames with the new summer programme soon to be announced.