Active Luton News
The Luton Kingfishers Diving Challenge:
This Invitational Diving Competition is being hosted by Luton Kingfishers Diving Club at Inspire: Luton Sports Village.
Luton Kingfishers Diving Club was the first Club in the UK to host an annual interclub event and this year is celebrating its 25th Luton Challenge. For 24 years Wardown Swimming and Leisure Centre accommodated this famous competition but now with the brand new facility, we have a great way to celebrate the silver anniversary. You will have the chance to see your local team perform against divers from 11 diving clubs including the top clubs in Britain. Rebecca Gallantree, the 3m individual and 3m synchro Olympic diver will be competing during the week-end as will many other international divers!
Luton to host Long Course Open swimming Gala
Luton’s new £26 million leisure centre, Inspire:
Organised by Team Luton, the home club at Inspire, over 620 athletes from across the East of England will be competing in around 2,700 swims throughout the weekend. Swimmers of all ages will contest a variety of distances and strokes over the space of the weekend, from 50m all the way up to 1500m races. The gala is set to be of an extremely high standard, with swimmers aiming for regional and national qualifying times in their respective distances.
This does mean that both swimming pools will be closed to the public over the weekend of the 17/18th, however
There are three sessions per day
- 9.00am - 11.30am
- 1.00pm - 4.30pm
- 5.45pm - 8.00pm
Entry fees (all go towards team Luton funds are £3.00 per session or £5.00 all day
Helen Barnett, Chief Executive at Active Luton, said: “The Open meeting is sure to be a fantastic weekend of sport and competition, and will really show off the fantastic facilities we have at Inspire. “It is great to have a competition of this scale coming to
Cllr Mohammed Ashraf, Portfolio Holder for sports and leisure, said: “I’m really looking forward to a great weekend of swimming taking place at Inspire and would really encourage people to come out and cheer on everybody taking part.”
Peak & Off Peak hours
Off-Peak hours are:
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Monday - Friday up to 4.30pm and weekends - (except for swimming) which is classed as peak at weekends.
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Monday - Friday 4.30pm onwards and Swimming at weekends
HRH The Duke of Kent officially opened Inspire: Luton Sports Village
HRH The Duke of Kent officially opened Inspire: Luton Sports Village on Friday (26 October) as part of an afternoon of sporting demonstrations showcasing the world class facilities at Luton’s new £26 million world class sports centre in Stopsley. As part of his visit, HRH unveiled a plaque to mark the opening after receiving a tour of the building where a full programme of sports and activities were taking place.
Read more: HRH The Duke of Kent officially opened Inspire: Luton Sports Village
Dust off your rackets and join in the fun
Active Luton is encouraging residents to pop along to Lewsey Sports Park next Saturday (20 October) anytime between 9:45am and 6pm for free squash coaching and taster sessions.
Temporary closure of Lewsey Park Pool
Lewsey Park pool is about to undergo a major refurbishment. The planned upgrades include re-tiling the pool and the walls, installation of new disabled and family changing facilities (to complement the existing male/female areas), plus some mechanical and electrical work. We expect the upgrades to provide a more pleasant customer experience and are part of Active Luton's ongoing commitment to improve the facilities it operates on behalf of Luton Borough Council.
Luton Athletics Club open night
Were you inspired by Great Britain’s success at the London 2012 Games?
Active Luton is encouraging residents to come along to Luton Athletic Club’s ‘have a go’ night at Stockwood Park Athletics Track next Thursday (30 August). Starting at 5.30pm, sessions are for anyone wishing to take part in athletics, and will be aimed at people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels. There will be a selection of running, jumping and throwing events throughout the evening.
Helen Barnett, Chief Executive at Active Luton, said: “The incredible achievements of Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford at the Olympics were an inspiration to all of us and I hope it has encouraged more local people to get involved in athletics. “With the opening of Inspire: Luton Sports Village and a number of new sporting programmes in place, we are confident that we can build Luton’s own Olympic legacy. “Whether you’re a first timer or coming out of retirement to relive your glory days, this is a great opportunity to come and have a go. There is no need to register - you can just turn up and have fun.”
For more information about Luton Athletics Club and the open night, call 01582 72 29 30 or visit www.lutonac.co.uk
Luton’s Flame Celebration
Luton Borough Council and Active Luton invite you to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to welcome the Paralympic Flame to Luton
The flame will be arriving at Inspire: Luton Sports Village, Butterfield Green Road, off Hitchin Road, Luton, LU2 8DD on bank holiday Monday 27 August 2012 at 10am.
Bring a camera and have your picture taken with the Paralympic Flame between 12pm and 2pm.
Inspire Luton Sports Village opens on Monday!
The wait will soon be over when the doors to the £26 million Inspire: Luton Sports Village finally opens to the public on Monday 20 August at 2pm.
Future looking bright for Luton athletics
A number of promising young athletes on Active Luton’s developmental athletic programmes have been selected for higher honours. The athletic programmes take place at Active Luton’s Stockwood Park track as well as in local schools and other community venues.
All of the programmes are set up to motivate and inspire young athletes. One of these is ‘Sportshall Athletics’ (SHA), which is delivered in sports halls using adapted activities such as standing long jump, turbo javelin, obstacle relays along with traditional sprints and endurance races. The main aim of SHA is to develop the fundamental skills of running, throwing and jumping in a fun environment.
The Luton Schools Athletic Cup has also been developed to provide more competitive opportunities for secondary school children in Luton, and is used as the selection process for the Bedfordshire Schools County Track and Field Competition. This has now provided three additional athletic competitions for secondary schools.
Active Luton also delivers a ‘gifted and talented’ programme at Stockwood Park Athletics Track for secondary school children. This provides young people with the opportunity to access quality coaching in numerous athletic events and raises the standards of athletic performances in competition. The programme is also used to encourage participants to join Luton Athletics Club.
There has been a noticeable improvement in Luton’s athletic performances since these programmes commenced including a number of excellent results and honourable selections.
Three Luton athletes on these programmes who were selected to represent England were Sabrina Bakare in 300m (2011), Dereece O’ Callahan in 400m (2012) and Jamal Lewis in cross country (2011 and 2012).
Earlier in the year, Luton had 10 athletes qualify for the prestigious English School Track and Field Championships in Gateshead. Two Luton athletes who medaled at the event were Dereece O’ Callahan in the intermediate 400m (silver) and Jamal Lewis in the junior 800m (Bronze).
Helen Barnett, Chief Executive at Active Luton, said: “These are fantastic achievements by some really talented young people so we are delighted that the hard work put into our programmes and initiatives is proving worthwhile.
“The programmes are designed to get more young people participating in athletics so they can go on to achieve their very best. I hope we can build on these successes, as well as Great Britain’s achievements in the Olympics, by getting many more young people involved in athletics locally.
Cllr Mohammed Ashraf, Portfolio Holder for sports and arts, said: “I am proud of all of the athletes who have benefitted from Active Luton’s modern sports facilities and programmes, which not only help the people of Luton to live healthier and more active lives, but also give us the ability to support potential future sports champions.”
If you are interested in getting involved in athletics, please call Stockwood Park Athletics Centre on 01582 72 29 30.
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