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Active Sussex is to add a premium service to its Coach Sussex Bursary, following the scheme's successful launch last year.

In addition to the standard bursary – which helps sports coaches become better qualified by meeting 75 per cent of the cost of their training – for its 2012 bursary Active Sussex will roll out a premium tier service across four sports: badminton, basketball, hockey and netball.

Premium bursaries will attract additional support, including a greater level of financial input, enhanced training and resources. Full details of the premium service will be announced in the next month, while applications for the standard bursary opened this week.

"The response to the first round of bursary funding last year was very encouraging, and proved what a fantastic opportunity the coach bursary is for both volunteer and paid coaches," said Anthony Statham, Active Sussex Coach Development Manager. "In the first round we had over 60 successful applicants from 12 different sports – 29 coaches at Level 1 and 32 at Level 2."

The standard Coach Sussex Bursary will fund 75 per cent of the cost of a training course, up to maximum of £150 for Level 1 and £200 for a Level 2 qualification. The scheme aims to provide financial support for 150 sports coaches over the next three years, as part of Sussex Legacy.

The bursary is open to coaches from any sport recognised by Sport England, the national organization for grassroots sports development.  A full list of sports recognized by Sport England is available on its website: http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/recognised_sports.aspx

Applications for the standard bursary are now open and are assessed on a case-by-case basis at the end of each month. To download an application from, FAQs and guidance notes, visit our funding page

For more details of the standard or premium bursary, contact Anthony Statham on 01273 644149 or astatham@activesussex.org

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Active Sussex has teamed up with Brighton & Hove's Healthy City Partnership to offer organisations in Sussex up to £500 seed money to start a healthy workplace scheme.

The fund gives businesses and organisations throughout Sussex the opportunity to trial programmes that improve the health and wellbeing of their staff.

"Our aim is to guide businesses through the process of creating a healthier workplace – and ultimately a healthier business," said Donna Imrie-Browne, who manages the grant scheme on behalf of Active Sussex.

In all 20 projects received grants in the last round of funding for a wide range of work-based activities, from yoga sessions to roller blade training.

Individual businesses can apply for funding up to a maximum of £500 to help run a scheme that meets the grant criteria. For more details, contact Donna Imrie on 07545 045 453 or Donna@active-solutions.co.uk

Guidance notes and an application form available for download under Useful Documents on our Active & Healthy Workplace page.

Closing date for completed applications: 8 June

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Sport England has announced it will be investing £25m in further education sport, via its new Active Colleges initiative.

The funding will be used to create 150 full time sports development professionals working in the FE sector, called College Sport Makers, and an £8m 'activation fund' for revenue projects. Colleges can apply for awards of between £30,000 and £75,000 over three years.

Two pre-application workshops will take place to provide more detail about both funding streams in London on Friday 27 April, commencing 10:00am and 2:00pm. To attend either the morning or afternoon session, please email further.education@sportengland.org with the following details:

• your name
• organisation
• date of workshop
• time of workshop

For more information, visit the Sport England website or contact Katie Mitchell, Head of Higher and Further Education, on 020 7273 1653 or katie.mitchell@sportengland.org

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Active Sussex gold tier partner Freedom Leisure has launched a Talented Athlete Support Scheme, to provide 30 athletes with free access to its leisure centres.

Successful applicants will receive a year's membership giving free access to 28 centres in Sussex and six facilities in Kent and Surrey. The membership includes use of K2 Crawley, an official Olympic 2012 training venue with world class facilities.

Athletes wishing to apply must be aged between 14-25 (although applications from athletes outside this age range may be accepted in exceptional circumstances), hold a UK top ten ranking in a Sport England recognised sport and either live in a borough or district with a Freedom Leisure run facility or belong to a club based at a Freedom Leisure facility.

Applications for the Freedom Talented Athlete Support Scheme close on 23 April.

Read on and apply

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Paul Cox of Worthing College said FE presented a great opportunity for sports engagement

Over 40 sports development delegates came together at the first Active Sussex Network meeting of 2012 for a series of briefings and discussions.

First on the agenda at the Triangle, Burgess Hill, was an FE perspective on engaging 16-24 year-olds in sport, presented by Paul Cox of Worthing College. Cox was keen to point out the advantages of working with FE colleges where, he said, a huge "captive audience for sport" was waiting.

"It's almost as simple as working out how to fit [sport] into their timetable," said Cox. "And be consistent. If you say you're running a session, make sure you run it – even if it snows."

Active Sussex trustee Rob Hardy followed with a discussion of sport for social change, based around his work with the London-based Nike-supported Sport For Social Change Network.

Diane Farmer of Football Foundation introduced the organisation's new online management system, UpShot, and Michelle Eldridge of Wealden District Council gave a local authority view on funding streams and advice.

"Our latest meeting showed just how vibrant and active the sports development network is in Sussex," said Active Sussex's Sally Harper. "The debates around engaging the 16-24 age group as well as the impact of localism and partnership working were extremely well received."

All the presentation materials from the event are available to download under Useful Documents on the Active Sussex Network page

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NBA Miami Heat pro basketball player LeBron James leads a training session for London School of Basketball, an intiative developed by Sport for Social Change Network

As a trustee of Community Action Zone (CAZ), formerly known as Sport Action Zone, I've recently been involved in an exciting social enterprise initiative in South London. Community Action Zone, originally set up by Sport England in

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Former England rugby union international Alastair Hignell emphasised the need for a lasting Olympic legacy in his keynote speech at the Sussex Legacy programme launch on 29 February.

Hignell praised the work of the county sports partnership and the government's plan to create real opportunities for sport in Sussex and across the country after the 2012 Games. He said the country had drawn inspiration from previous high profile sporting events, particularly England's 2003 rugby World Cup victory.

"I'm glad to see we have learnt from the experience of the [rugby] World Cup. There was a very large increase in participation in the sport after England's win and this was in large part due to the development work that went on behind the scenes before and after New Zealand.

"The thinking about what happens after the Olympics this year in London has already taken place to ensure the games will be a participation event, and not simply a demonstration event."

Active Sussex chose the leap day, 29 February, to launch six strands of its sporting legacy plan for Sussex: Sportivate, Sport Makers, Sussex Sports Awards, School Games, Sussex Coaching Bursary and Active & Healthy Workplaces.

Sussex Legacy aims to capture the thrill of the London 2012 Games and increase the numbers of people taking part, coaching and running sport in Sussex. Introducing Sussex Legacy at the briefing at Sussex County Cricket Club, Active Sussex's Business Development Manager Geraldine Bloomfield said: "We hope to pass on the gift of a sporting habit for life through our programmes in Sussex and are proud to have Alastair support us here today." 

Hignell, who now lives in Brighton, had successful careers as a rugby union international, county cricket player and BBC commentator before retirement. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 and was awarded a CBE for his sport and charity work in 2009. 

For more information about Sussex Legacy, visit the Active Sussex dedicated 2012 pages

View all the photos from the launch on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/activesussexcsp

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Boccia England is hosting a talent day at Angmering School on Wednesday 7 March.

The skills testing session is open to new and existing Boccia players who are power chair players or cerebral palsy wheelchair athletes.

Boccia England scouts will be there on the day to identify the most talented athletes in the county, assessing players for acceptance onto the Boccia Paralympic pathway.

All participants will gain a provisional Boccia classification, and successful applicants will be paired to a local club for skills development, as well as being introduced into the regional talent group.

Sussex Playground to Podium CAAD talent day takes place at Angmering School on 7 March from 1:30-3:30pm.

For more details and to attend, contact Matt Kendrick on 0115 9678455 or mkendrick@bocciaengland.org.uk

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Up to £10m in Lottery funding has been made available by the government and Sport England in the latest round of its Olympic legacy funding programme.

Sports clubs and organisations are encouraged to bid for a portion of the Inspired Facilities fund. The money can be used on anything from new equipment to refurbishing existing buildings.

Inspired Facilities is focused on making it easier for local community and volunteer groups to improve and refurbish sports clubs or transform non-sporting venues into modern grassroots sport facilities.

Investment is available to breathe new life into tired facilities and equipment including:

• building modernisation
• outdoor sports lighting
• outdoor sports surfaces
• community club buildings
• sports equipment

To find out more and bid for funds, visit www.sportengland.org/inspiredfacilities

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