Adaptive sports hub plans move a step further as donation made

A newly formed sports trust could see its visions come to life if its planning application is approved.The Adapted Sports Hub Trust has been set up by the Pelicans Hockey Club and two charities for children with disabilities – Little Discoverers and Little Miracles.The £3million project would include adaptive spaces to enable those with disabilities to take part in sport.

And funding has taken a step in the right direction as £10,000 has been donated to the trust by the Duke of Edinburgh Cup.The Duke of Edinburgh Cup is an international charity with royal patronage that raises funds for a number of charities through golf tournaments.Lead fundraisers who staged an event in Hunstanton last year – including Eric Snaith of Titchwell Manor and Paul Williams from KFE, a fryer manufacturer – handed over the cheque to the adaptive sports hub trustees.

Organisers at the Duke of Edinburgh Cup have agreed that any money raised in future from the Hunstanton event will be donated to the Adaptive Sports Hub Trust.Hunstanton’s next qualifying event in the Cup will be on April 26.Back in September, the trust launched its project and revealed design plans for the hub, which would be located on Lynnsport’s grounds.The hub hopes to provide a “less intimidating” space for people to get into exercise and to give people with disabilities a supportive space along with Paralympic-style facilities.Plans have been submitted to West Norfolk Council, with a decision expected soon.Campaigners are in the process of seeking out grants to help fund the project.The sports hub is a shared vision for Little Discoverers’ leader Katie Fisher and president of Pelicans Hockey Club, Charles Lankfer.Katie previously said: “We hope it will be a fantastic asset for the whole of West Norfolk.“We aim at providing an accessible, welcoming environment to encourage people with disabilities to keep active and have fun.”Katie is one of three trustees in the project. Others are Paul Searle and Michelle King.West Norfolk Council has previously shown support for the project and wished them luck in their fundraising endeavours.There are hopes that the hub will be built within the next three years.Simon Ring, West Norfolk Council’s cabinet member for tourism, events and marketing, said: “We have had a number of conversations with Little Discoverers about their ambitions to create an adapted sports hub in Lynn, and more specifically on the Lynnsport site.“We welcome their ideas and support their aims and ambitions in terms of extending the current adaptive sports offer available. Having facilities which support less able people of all ages to participate in activities that will keep them fit, active and independent as well as improving mental wellbeing, is an ambition we can all get behind.“In principle, we support what they are hoping to achieve and will assist where we can.“We wish them lots of luck with their fundraising endeavours and look forward to receiving specific proposals so that we can have further discussions with them with a view to confirming how we might be able to support and accommodate their plans.”