Work starts on £10m Olympic legacy project
WORK has started on the first phase of a £10m London 2012 legacy project to make Sheffield one of the most physically active cities in the UK.
Construction teams are now on site at Concord Sports Centre – one of three city locations being developed as part of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM).
The £700,000 government-funded scheme at Concord, which is operated by the Sheffield City Trust (SCT) charity group, will see an unused changing block transformed into a centre that will promote physical activity as a treatment in the NHS.
The refurbished area will house seven clinical consulting rooms for NHS outpatients’ clinics, education and training facilities and tele-health suites as well as creating a connection to the existing sports centre and outdoor spaces.
Expected to be completed in early 2015, the facility will also have its own dedicated car park, entrance and reception at the rear of the building.
The project brings together clinical services, sport and exercise specialists and health professionals to use physical activity to treat a range of chronic health conditions.
As well as the Concord hub, two further NCSEM sites will be opened at Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre, and in north Sheffield in early 2016.
Steve Brailey, chief executive of the SCT, said: “Our organisation’s charitable purpose is driven around encouraging physical activity to reduce the risk of chronic disease, so the NCSEM project is a perfect addition to the already successful set-up we have developed at Concord.
“Location is really important and Concord was chosen because it’s at the heart of the community and has already has an award-winning GP referral project as well as close links with local GP surgeries and community groups.
“Our expertise lies in linking health and physical activity. The site will be integrated with our own health and fitness facilities allowing GPs to prescribe exercise in a sporting environment and supporting our successful centre to grow.”
