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Covering S4, S5 and S6 - Issue 2, January 2014
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Tour de France hype begins Page 4
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Boxing star returns to his roots Ex Parkwood Academy pupil and British boxing champion opens state of the art gym in Shirecliffe Joe Diamond A former British Boxing Champion has given Parkwood Academy’s new gym his seal of approval after opening the new £80,000 fitness suite this month.
Sheffield-resident Kell Brook was given the honour of opening the gym, after months of development and hard work. The 27-year-old undefeated welterweight champion is now recognised as one of British Boxing’s rising stars, and took time out to unveil the new sports centre for local residents at the high school he once attended as a pupil. Paying homage to his beginnings, Brook said: “I was really happy to be a part of the official opening. “I’ve grown up here, I used to go to this school and I think it’s great that they’ve built something that will genuinely help the community for years to come”. Community Health The new venture, which is led by Alistair Lowe, Parkwood Academy Assistant Principal/Director of Sport, Performance and Wellbeing, has been thirteen years in the making and promises to help the whole community get fitter and live healthier. The £80,000 development boasts a state of the art fully integrated Pulse Fitness Smart Centre system that monitors members’ personalised programmes and usage. It is the only system in Sheffield that monitors both cardiovascular machines and resistant machines. Lowe said: “I am really pleased that we’re able to offer such fantastic facilities to the community – this is what I feel they deserve. “This fulfills our vision in working closely with the wider community and being able to offer services that benefit the local residents”. The fitness suite will cost just £14 a month for its users, with concessions priced at £10. Future Vision The idea of opening the gym to the public
was part of the initial vision when Parkwood E-ACT Academy was opened back in 2009. Parkwood’s Deputy Headteacher, Rachel Smith, said that opening the affordable facility up to the public was vital. “The gym is an excellent facility that we want to utilise to the full,” she said. “We see ourselves as a community school in the true sense of the word, therefore opening to the wider community is the right thing to do. “We welcome everyone who would like to improve their health and fitness levels; helping people to lead a healthier lifestyle.” Regeneration Parkwood Academy’s cutting edge new facility has also created several new jobs for locals and is another major stepping stone in its mission to help regenerate one of Sheffield’s most hard to reach areas. Paul Howard, Parkwood Academy Community Coordinator said: “We see this as a Kell Brook (right) and headteacher Mike Westerdale partnership exercise. “The fact that we can offer this to the community reinforces the For more information about bond we have with them. “As the school grows, so the community Parkwood E-ACT Academy Sports Centre membership, visit: www. will”. call People can become members of the parkwoodacademy.org.uk, Parkwood E-ACT Academy Sports Centre for 0114 231 0221, or e-mail the school info@parkwoodacademy.org.uk the introductory offer of £10 per month. This includes access to all cardiovascular machines fitted with Freeview television, Want to share an Internet access, and mobile phone charging event happening docks. in your area? The addition of a fitness suite at Parkwood Find us on Facebook: adds to the Academy’s sporting facilities facebook.com/s5observer available to the community, such as 7-a-side football pitches, badminton courts, and Sports and Activity Halls.
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