A brand new Parkour training site in Lancing’s Monk Recreations Ground will be officially opened by young people for young people in Adur on Wednesday 26 October at 1pm with a choreographed display after which time the public to try it out for themselves!
Parkour, which provides the right environment for youngsters to experiment and perfect their vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping skills, was designed by Parkour’s Urban Playground Team alongside local kids, and supported by Lancing Parish Council, Adur and Worthing Councils, and Viridor Credits.
Cabinet member for health and wellbeing, David Simmons, said: “At a time when we hear so much about obesity in the young, it is particularly pleasing that we have been able to work with local young people to set this exciting and healthy facility in place. It is a major investment in Lancing which undoubtedly will be well used throughout the year, providing much needed additional facilities for our younger community. We are grateful to our funding partners for making this investment and enabling. “
Alister O’Loughlin from Urban Playground said: “This is what we’d describe as a micro-site. It provides a fantastic environment for enthusiasts of all ages to learn the fundamentals of Parkour within a small area built on a small budget but to very high standards and with the highest design ideals. Parkour is simply about expressing yourself through movement which is safe, efficient and fluid. It’s not a danger-sport, and it’s not competitive. It’s open to everyone, and the council here is being incredibly long-sighted in providing this free facility for those local people already interested and others who may become interested.”
“It’s fantastic that Adur council is supporting young people. They have involved young people from the design stage up. This ensures that the site is wanted and owned by the young people themselves and we’re happy to be a part of facilitating that process.”
Lancing Parish Chairman Ann Bridges adds: “The parish council is very pleased to be part of the Parkour project. It is a wonderful opportunity for the young people of Lancing and we see it as an investment in their future and leisure activities.”
The £13,500 project was funded from Viridor Credits Environmental Company, through the Landfill Communities Fund, Lancing Parish Council and Adur in Partnership.
Lancing’s Monk Recreations Ground
- Parkour is the art of overcoming obstacles with safe, efficient, fluid movement. It originated in the suburbs of Paris 22 years ago
- The Urban Playground Team designed and opened the UK’s first permanent site in Crawley in 2009, and a second in Rugby in 2010
- The Urban Playground Team are a professional performance-parkour company, part of Prodigal Theatre, and work in partnership with Gravity Style – the French organisation of Malik Diouf & Charles Perriere, two of Parkour’s co-creators
- They will be opening the doors of Gravity Style UK – a professional parkour coaching club – this autumn
- They have been working with Lancing’s young people through the Sir Robert Woodard Academy since 2008
- Viridor Credits Environmental Company distributes funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. Funding is available for community and environmental projects within ten miles of an active Viridor landfill site. Since its inception Viridor Credits has allocated over £70M to over a thousand projects across the UK and several in Adur and Worthing
- Adur in Partnership – part of the former Adur LSP Local Strategic Partnership – now joined with Worthing called Waves Ahead.
