An independant national inquiry, examining issues around the UK’s sports facilities, was launched last week. The organisation, chaired by sports broadcaster John Inverdale, will ask whether the country has enough sports and leisure facilities, what condition they are in and how easily people can access them.

The Facilities Inquiry will take evidence from a range of people and organisations. Users of gyms, parks, pitches, pathways and waterways will all have an opportunity to give their views to their panel at a series of evidencegathering sessions and through the dedicated website: www.facilitiesinquiry.org.uk.

IN 2009 as the recession hit hard many were affected by redundancy, but one winner could be land-based industries, including turf care. Employment in this sector looks set to pick up apparently.

Research carried out by Lantra, the Sector Skills Council, has identified that 110,000 new entrants are needed across the UK over the next decade. This is great news as the new source of workers could significantly reduce the risk of facing a critical shortage of a skilled workforce.

Are our sports facilities up to themark? The inquiry, which has the support of all three main political parties in England, will produce a report and a range of recommendations based on its findings. The panel is scheduled to report in April 2010. Panel chair, John Inverdale, believes that the quality of our facilities are central to the UK’s sporting culture.

The Inquiry will look at questions such as: Are there enough sport and leisure facilities to go around? What’s the priority – more or better facilities? How does access measure up compared to users’ expectations? Are people’s experiences of sports facilities good, bad or indifferent? Is there anything we can do to make sure people get the experience they want? Inverdale states: “Sport is a really big deal to me, just like it is to millions of other people. It’s not just my job but it’s a big part of my life too.

And the facilities where sports and activity take place are instrumental to how and how much we take part.

“I want this inquiry to get into the nitty-gritty of the UK’s facility stock – and that’s something we haven’t done for a while. We don’t really understand enough about what people’s expectations are or what they want when it comes to doing sport.

“The Facilities Inquiry will Mark Robson (right), son of the late Sir Bobby Robson, receives a cheque for £467.70 from Paul Foston of Sherriff Amenity on behalf of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Sir Bobby lost a 17 year battle against the disease last July and The Foundation in his name focuses on the early detection and treatment of cancer and the clinical trials of new drugs to combat it. The money was collected on the Sherriff Amenity stand over three days at Saltex in September.

really get to the bottom of those issues and come up with recommendations which will help get more people more active.

“We all want to see more people leading more active lifestyles. Not only is it good for you, lots of people have forgotten that it’s also fun. And sport doesn’t just make people healthier.

It can cut down crime, help kids learn and bring communities together. So it makes sense to make sure we’re doing the right thing when it comes to providing and maintaining facilities. The Facilities Inquiry will help us do just that.”

For more information and to contribute to the inquiry, visit www.facilitiesinquiry.org.uk