Saddlers' Neil Etheridge opens new playground at Walsall Wood School
A Walsall primary school has unveiled its new £30,000 playground after becoming one of the first to benefit from £18 million of National Lottery money.
Walsall goalkeeper Neil Etheridge joined Sport England and other guests at Walsall Wood School for the opening of the new facility.
The school received £30,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England's Primary Spaces fund to transform its playground into a useful space for PE and sport.
The school's sports co-ordinator Simon Bailey said: "Now the playground is marked and prepared for a multitude of sports and games ranging from hockey and netball to basketball and cricket.
"A special plastic flooring has also been put down to make it safer."
New facilities at the 210-pupil school now include a net and hoop, and new polymer surfacing and court markings allowing teachers to increase PE curriculum time.
The school hopes to engage and inspire more children to choose sport outside of school hours and 'find a love for being active', said the school's sports co-ordinator.
Sport England director of community sport Mike Diaper added: "When launching this fund, we knew there were currently many primary schools that had little or no suitable outdoor space for PE or sport, making it difficult for teachers to deliver exciting and engaging lessons.
"That is why this funding is so important because it gives young people the right places to play sport and be physically active which is crucial to their development.
"By giving children the space to take part in PE and play sport from an early age, we can help them establish a lifelong sporting habit that will also help them lead to living healthy lifestyles."
