Talking Politics column with Kim Leadbeater MP: Celebrating sport in Spen Valley
It has been an amazing summer of sport for England and Spen Valley. The World Cup ended disappointingly but I’m sure we can all agree that we saw some really memorable performances from the England team and a very entertaining tournament overall. Athletes are now representing England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and I know that many of you, like me, will be cheering them on.
One of the great things about sport and physical activity is that whoever you are you can be involved in one way or another.
In Spen Valley we are lucky to have so much sporting talent and activity going on.
Gomersal and Cleckheaton Disability Football Team provide opportunities for people with different needs to play football and keep active; it was a huge pleasure to have them as my Charity of the Month and present them with a cheque to support their brilliant work.
At Dewsbury and District Golf Club in Mirfield it was a delight to accept the invitation to join the Lady Captain’s Weekend to see what was going on at the Club and serve well-deserved refreshments to the golfers.
Cleckheaton Karate Club is doing inspiring work to help both young people and adults to grow their resilience and discipline through karate. During their session that I joined it was hard work but great fun.
Seventy-seven cyclists set off from Princess Mary Athletic Stadium in Cleckheaton to ride the nearly 300 miles to London as part of the annual Jo Cox Way bike ride, ranging in age from 22 to 80 in a deeply inspiring show of community. Every year since Jo’s murder a group has made the long journey to raise awareness of Jo’s message of unity and raise money for the Jo Cox Foundation and every year I am so impressed by their commitment and grit.
Sports clubs can also have a massive impact on their communities in less obvious ways. Leeds Rhinos recently hosted a Skills Summit at Headingley Stadium that brought together a whole host of different people from MPs like myself to community organisations, employers, and education providers. It was a fantastic opportunity to work together to discuss how we can create more education, training, and employment opportunities for young people.
At Battyeford Football Club I hosted an event with local football clubs, the Football Foundation, West Riding FA, the Yorkshire Sport Foundation, and Kirklees Council to discuss football across Spen Valley and what clubs needed.
I would really encourage you to take a look at what sport and physical activity is available near you and if you are interested I can promise that there’s something out there that suits you!