Sports Commission and States help clubs find temporary homes

Monday 14 December 2020

Following the selection of Sir John Loveridge Hall as Guernsey's community vaccination centre, many of the sports teams who have been displaced by the change have now been able to secure alternative venues.

The States has worked with the Guernsey Sports Commission to ensure that any affected sporting groups are successfully relocated, and work continues on the final few that remain unresolved.

Graham Chester, Operations Director for the Guernsey Sports Commission, originally feared that the loss of the hall for such a long period of time would be "extremely disruptive" to local sports, but he has since been pleased with the work that has been done to mitigate this.

"A huge amount of work has taken place in a short amount of time, and I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to those who look after our school sports facilities, and also those who own and manage private sports and community facilities for their willingness to go the extra mile.

"The team at Beau Sejour have also gone above and beyond in contacting those whose booking have been affected, and pointing them in the right direction.

Pictured: The Sir John Loveridge Hall at Beau Sejour has been picked as the "best-suited" location for a mass community vaccination centre.

"Although it has been impossible to replace like for like, we are thankful that those sports affected have been pragmatic about the situation, and prepared to adapt their operation to suit the new venues and timings available," he said.

"We of course fully understand the need to prioritise the vaccine rollout and have been pleased with the amount o joint working between the Commission, the States and sporting groups."

The vaccination centre is expected to operate for roughly six months. During this time, a number of other sports facilities are being utilised, such as those at St Sampson's High and Les Beaucamps schools. Parish premises will also be used, includes St Martin's Parish Hall, which will host Guernsey Mobility's weekly 'Let's Go' sessions for accessible sports. Elizabeth College and the Guernsey Table Tennis Centre will be supporting school that had been using Beau Sejour facilities for PE lessons.

States' Chief Executive Paul Whitfield said that, while the vaccination centre must take priority, the States worked hard to secure appropriate arrangements.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank staff within Education, Sport & Culture, the Sports Commission, and those connected with the sports themselves, the majority of whom are volunteers, for finding pragmatic solutions."