Biddick School, Washington, in the North-east, which became a sports college last September, received Pounds 90,000 from the Lawn Tennis Association and raised the rest from a variety of local businesses, Sunderland Football Club and Newcastle Sporting Club.
Charles Watson, head of this 1,100-pupil 11 to 16 community school, said the money would pay for six all-weather, floodlit tennis courts and hoped that a successful lottery bid would pay for a new building to link the gym and the sports hall which would accommodate viewing areas, a social club and a weight- training area.
The revenue funding would help to improve coaching, in-service training and developing links with clubs.
Oldfield girls’ school in Bath received Pounds 25,000 from the LTA, Pounds 60,000 from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, and smaller donations from the Wolfson Foundation and the local authority. Sara Grimshaw, director of sport at the grant-maintained school, said the money will be spent on a gym, two indoor tennis courts and floodlights for the netball courts.
The school is linked to Bath University’s sports scholarship scheme for tennis. Gymnastics is coached to international level. Revenue grants will pay for coaching by a professional tennis player and a dance teacher.
Ivybridge Community College, 15 miles from Plymouth, Devon, is regarded as a flagship school in the county, with 1,800 pupils aged 11 to 18. Half the Pounds 100,000 came from the LTA for refurbishing three tennis courts with the rest raised from small businesses - with difficulty - said Geoff Rees, the head. The remainder will be spent on a centre to monitor physical activity among the students.
