More easily accessible green space is desperately needed for children in the UK, according to the head of a sports charity urging private schools to open their grounds.
Kieran Connolly founded Sports Fun 4 All. A non-profit organization that provides free football lessons to kids in south London. He currently collaborates with a nearby private school, which allows his teams to use one of its football fields.
Connolly said: Kieran Connolly founded Sports Fun 4 All, a non-profit organization, that provides free football lessons to kids in south London. He currently collaborates with a nearby private school. Which allows his teams to use one of its football fields.
Connolly was born and raised in southeast London. Where he played on the Catford Pitz fields until St. Dunstan’s College purchased them in 2011. For me and many other young people, it was almost like a lifesaver, he said. You were free to enter and play since the gate was wide open. Everyone could find a place. You would spend hours there, socialize, play matches, hang out with friends, and meet new people. It’s free to play there, they weren’t even locked.
Nonetheless, the independent school that charges £22,599 annually initially reserved the fields for its students’ exclusive use.
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Connolly reached out to council members who assisted him in convincing the school to grant the charity permission to use its floodlit fields once a week for football practices for young people in Catford.
Every Monday after school, St. Dunstan’s has provided free access to Sports Fun 4 All for an hour. This program, began in August of last year. Additionally, the school has been more active in the community with schools in and around Catford. Its most recent partnership is with Chelsea FC through which it will regularly host tournaments for state schools in the area.
Most recently, the Lewisham Young Leaders Academy (LYLA) was founded to assist underprivileged African, Caribbean and dual-heritage children between the ages of eight and eighteen. This was made possible by a collaboration with St. Dunstan’s College, Lewisham Council and the Westside Young Leaders Academy. Additionally, the area is made available to neighborhood elementary schools at no cost for their sports days.
Connolly’s team has seen a consistent increase in regular attendance and they participated in their first under-14 competition this summer.
Lewisham is home to Catford and according to data from Trust for London. One-third of the children in the borough live in poverty.
Nadia Shaikh, a campaigner with Right to Roam, said: The early, foundational green spaces that are most important are those that are easily and quickly accessible to young people. That is distributed wildly unevenly throughout the nation.
“Your accidental interactions with nature throughout your life are found in your local green spaces. These are the kinds of natural spaces, that offer you a feeling of community and provide you with regular moments of relaxation and tranquility.”
Kate Ashbrook, the general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said: Children must have unrestricted access to green spaces right outside their homes for their health and wellbeing. This is not only an investment in our future; it is also a fundamental human right, and they shouldn’t be required to pay for it.
