Prince William and Catherine Middleton attend
Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge day in Lancashire
Today, 11 April 2011, Prince William and Catherine Middleton, visited Witton Country Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, one of the first sites to be protected as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge. Prince William marked the occasion by adding his signature to the Deed of Dedication to protect Witton Country Park.
The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge is a Fields in Trust (FIT)playing field legacy programme to mark her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The Challenge was launched by Prince William in June 2010, to permanently protect 2,012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities across the country by 2012. The Challenge will benefit current and future generations as a permanent legacy to the landmark occasion of the 2012 Jubilee.
The Challenge is to be the first charity to receive a grant from The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry. The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry was set up at the end of 2009 by Prince William and Prince Harry as the main vehicle for The Princes’ future charitable activities. The Foundation is a grant giving charity that will provide funding to selected charities and projects.Early priorities for the Foundation are charities that benefit:
* Young people in society
* Sustainable development at home and overseas
* Veterans affairs and welfare
Alison Moore-Gwyn, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust says: “We are extremely grateful to both Prince William and Miss Middleton for their attendance today. This has been a very exciting day for the Challenge and we hope it highlights that access to outdoor recreational spaces is vital to ensuring our communities are robust and healthy.
“We would like to extend our thanks to The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, ASDA and all of our financial supporters, without whom our vision for the Challenge would not be possible.”
Nick Booth, Chief Executive of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry said: "The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry is delighted to be able to support the Queen Elizabeth Fields project and to have Fields in Trust as its first ever grantee. At the heart of our mission is to allow everyone to fulfil their potential in life, and I see the project as a great example of this. Many of us will have grown up playing on fields that were a core part of our childhood and to preserve this for future generations is a great legacy for the Foundation to make possible".
It was also announced at the event that ASDA, the supermarket group, had agreed to be the principal partner of The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge.
Paul Kelly Asda's Corporate Affairs Director said, "Asda is proud to be the principal partner of Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust. Customers, colleagues and the wider community should all have somewhere they can meet, play or relax. Alongside our award winning Sporting Chance programme this partnership will also allow more young people access to free activities close to where they live."
As part of the Challenge, Fields in Trust is encouraging Local Authorities across the country to nominate fields to be protected. The project requires the support of sporting bodies, local authorities and, most importantly, the British people who are challenged to create their own legacy by voting for their favourite field to be protected and become a Queen Elizabeth II Field. The voting process takes place in 2011 and votes will be cast at
The 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge carries particular pertinence considering the other landmark event scheduled in 2012 - the London Olympics. Among those endorsing the challenge are the Minister for Sport and the London 2012 Olympics Hugh Robertson, athlete Jonathan Edwards CBE, 4 Time Olympic Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, The British Medical Association and The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
Ends
[Photos of Prince William and Miss Middleton at the event today are available from the Royal Rota via the Press Association].
Notes to editors:
-Fields in Trust is the operating name of the National Playing Fields Association
-Fields in Trust is a national charity founded in 1925. We work to improve the protection, provision and quality of outdoor recreational spaces for all communities in the UK
-We currently protect 1,271 fields totalling 8,584 acres
For more information on The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge please see:
For further information please contact:
Mark Knight, Sarah Evans-Toyne or Neema Patel, Broadgate Mainland on 020 7726 6111.
Helen Griffiths, Fields in Trust on: or 020 7427 2110.