WEST BUCKLAND SCHOOL
DATE: 19/02/07
CHAMPION TRIPLE JUMPER RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS FOR A “CUTTING THE TURF” CEREMONY
West Buckland School, situated 9 miles from Barnstaple on the edge of the Exmoor National Park, remains the most successful independent Senior School in North Devon and plays an integral part in the local economy by helping to raise educational levels in the area. Ex-pupil, Jonathan Edwards CBE returns to his “roots” to “cuts the turf” for the School’s new Sports Hall. Jonathan set his world triple jump record of 18.29 metres at the World Athletic Championships in Gothenburg in 1995, making him the first man to jump over 60 feet, a record which remains unbroken. The provision of a new Sports Hall will provide the pupils of West Buckland with a ‘state of the art’ facility worthy of the 21st Century while dedicated classrooms for those studying Physical Education will be an added bonus.
Quote by Jonathan Edwards CBE:
“I am sure that I would never have become an Olympic Champion if West Buckland hadn't been a school that nurtured and encouraged sporting talent. I am delighted to see this ethos continue in the commitment to build this new facility.”
Invited guests will gather at 11 am in the old gymnasium built in 1962 when the School had only 200 pupils and is totally inadequate for the current 700 + pupils that the School boasts today. A welcome address will be given by Paul Orchard-Lisle, President of West Buckland School, whose family have for generations been benefactors of the School, before introducing Jonathan Edwards CBE. This will be followed by the “cutting of the turf” and a photo call. Jonathan will take a Q&A session in the 6th Form Centre from A-Level PE Students before having lunch with VIP guests.
Quote by Paul Orchard-Lisle, President of West Buckland School and Trustee of the West Buckland School Foundation:
"West Buckland is a place where young people can explore a fantastic range of opportunities to seek out the areas in which they wish to develop their long term interests. Our new sports hall will add materially to the choices. T he sports hall will not just be for the super talented. It will be a facility for the whole of our community and it will enable each to appreciate the fun and the rewards from maintaining a healthy approach to life. We remain grateful to Jonathan Edwards who is the Patron of the West Buckland School Foundation and as such demonstrates his commitment to the future of the school. Jonathan is a role model for those who seek to make a positive contribution in a multiplicity of areas.”
£2m will pay for the building and equipping of a state of the art Sports Hall that will be enjoyed by school pupils and for generations to come. The project will receive a significant contribution from the West Buckland School Foundation as a result of fundraising activities and construction of the £2m project is due to commence in March 2007 and is expected to be completed in early 2008 to coincide with the School’s 150th Anniversary. The School was keen to utilise local companies for this project. Among them the well respected Chartered Quantity Surveyors, Gates Partnership, who are acting as Employers’ Agents for this project. Gates has a long standing relationship with the School on a number of previous development projects, including the Karslake Hall, a refurbishment of old dormitories into a new English, Music and Drama Department, the Orchard-Lisle Centre (Physics and Maths Department) as well as the Bamfylde girls’ boarding house and the Headmaster’s house. Paul Richards who has recently been taken on by the Practice was a pupil at West Buckland before leaving in 1999. Other consultants involved in the Sports Hall development include RGP Architects who also worked with Gates on the £3.9 m Tarka Tennis Centre in Barnstaple and who are currently designing a new sports pitch and changing facilities at Torrington for the Football Foundation. Pearce Construction are the main contractors and their design was felt by the School to be visually the most attractive, offering the largest building and Hall and the best value overall.
As well as receiving academic and cultural acclaim, West Buckland School continues to demonstrate a great sporting heritage, which encourages healthy sporting activity for every pupil in the school and has produced some very famous “old boys”. World record holder for the triple jump, Jonathan Edwards CBE the first man to pass the 18-metre barrier in the Triple Jump, remains Great Britain’s most successful athlete of modern times, but is perhaps most famous for his Gold Medal at the 2000 Olympics.
For over two centuries West Buckland School is very proud to have nurtured some of the country’s finest sportsmen and women. As early as 1892, former pupil Harold Hilton won the British Open Golf Championship. Harold Gimblett the cricketer made his debut for Somerset in 1935 and went on to play for England. Gold Medal Olympic champion Bertie Hill, the International 3 day Eventer, competed in three Olympic games before going on to train future Olympic Teams. Both Victor Ubogu and Steve Ojomoh played Rugby for England in the 1990’s and Charlotte Read became an Olympic Medallist in 1994 as well as captaining the Great Britain Fencing Team.
Many West Buckland students continue to play sport for their county and the South West. This year our students have achieved representative honours in the following sports: Athletics, Basketball, Cross Country, Cricket, Hockey and Netball. Another recent achievement is that of one recent student who won a scholarship to Butler University, Indiana in the U S A, to develop her running and swimming abilities. In 2003/04 a West Buckland student played Basketball for the England U16 team and went on to play for the South West U18 team.
Contact:
Sue Pollard
Development Director
Tel: 01598 760164
Email: sp@westbuckland.devon.sch.uk
Website: www.westbuckland.devon.sch.uk
NOTES ON JONATHAN EDWARDS CBE:
Jonathan Edwards spent his childhood in Devon where his father was vicar of a parish in Ilfracombe. Jonathan was a pupil at West Buckland School from 1976 – 1984 before graduating in Physics from Durham University. He set his world triple jump record of 18.29 metres at the World Athletic Championships in Gothenburg in 1995, making him the first man to jump over 60 feet, a record which remains unbroken. 5 months later he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and climaxed his career with a gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 at the age of 34. 6 years ago he was made a Commander of the British Empire and last year he received honorary doctorates from Exeter and Ulster Universities. Jonathan is a member of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games representing the athletes.
NOTES TO EDITORS ON WESTBUCKLAND SCHOOL:
West Buckland School was established in 1858 and is an Independent day and boarding School that caters for approximately 700 boys and girls, 200 in the Prep School and 500 in the Senior School. The School is renowned in the West County and indeed increasingly more widely for its academic, cultural and sporting achievements. The School can boast some fine sporting facilities such as 5 Rugby pitches, 3 Cricket pitches, 7 hard tennis courts, 5 netball courts, 2 squash courts and a golf training facility, 2 shooting ranges as well as a swimming pool. Additionally, the new All Weather Pitch, opened in Autumn 2003, provides a full size hockey pitch in the winter and 9 ‘astro’ turf tennis courts in the summer. However, the old gymnasium, is no longer sufficient for the needs of students in the 21st Century. Indeed a maximum of only 24 pupils can be taught at any one time and the building is not even large enough to house a full size basketball court.
In recent years West Buckland School has been very successful in attracting increasing numbers of students both from home and abroad. This success has however impacted heavily on the Sports Department where until recently little investment in facilities has been seen. The completion of the All Weather Pitch in the Autumn of 2003 has enabled sport to continue following wet weather; however, it does not address the need to provide a large indoor multi-purpose area where pupils of a wide age range (3-18) and abilities can be coached simultaneously in different disciplines. A new Sports Hall will complete the provision of facilities worthy of the 21st Century and the abilities and aspirations of our pupils.
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