Where it began

The Lewisham Sports Consortium was established as a constituted voluntary organisation in June 1998, became a Company Limited by Guarantee (November 2001) and a registered Charity in May 2005. The board of trustees are volunteers with experience of running sporting activities for all age groups. There are currently no paid workers; all the work done is on a voluntary basis.

The group originally came together because of a lack of open space and places to play football and other sports in the Borough of Lewisham. In addition there was concern about the lack of access to provision and disadvantage suffered by sports people in the Borough who are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The group first worked successfully with the Council to bring back into use Summerhouse Playing Field, which was managed by the Consortium until the Council contracted out all its parks and green spaces to a commercial company.

However, the group was later invited to put forward proposals (along with other voluntary groups) to develop one of four vacant sites for sports. Firhill playing field was offered to the Consortium following due dilligence and a long application process.

Organisational Objectives

The main purposes of the organisation is to benefit the community, in particular targeting people from the Black and Minority Ethic (BME) community residing in the London Borough of London of Lewisham. This includes; –

Providing and assisting in the provision of facilities for sport, recreation or other leisure time activities.
Advancing public education, in particular the education of children and young people through the provision of education and training programmes. The programmes will include physical and mental training activities designed to improve their social, moral and intellectual development designed to meet their needs and the needs of the wider community.

The main focus of the work done by the Consortium relates to the Firhill Sports Field project. The project provides a focal point and base from which the Consortium delivers sport and physical activities to the community as a means of addressing wider social aims. In particular, school education support, health and physical fitness, social and community cohesion, coaching education and training, self-development, good citizenship and developing BME social and economic capital.

Partnerships

Work is ongoing to develop local partnerships with Lewisham Borough Council , local youth groups and charities to ensure that local people and the wider community receive maximum benefit from the facility.

Vision Statement:

To encourage change whether it be young people, the community, volunteers or the organisation itself.

Mission Statement:

To provide a unique multi-purpose facility that caters for education, training, sports, physical activity and community needs. Targeting young people, the disadvantaged with particular focus on the BME communities in Lewisham and throughout South East London. 

Values:

Promote:

• courtesy, politeness and respect
• self-discipline
• the ability to listen and carry out instructions
• self-analysis and reflection

Encourage:

• focus/concentration and working to specific targets
• young people to have positive approaches

 Provide:

• opportunities for feedback and evaluation

The Firhill Sports Ground Project

The Firhill Road Sports Ground Project is an inner city project being run by a group whose leadership comes mainly from the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community. The beneficiaries are everyone living in the locality, but mainly young people, people from low-income families, and people from the BME communities. The ward in which the site is located (Bellingham – Lewisham) is the second most derived in the Borough. This project provides an ideal opportunity to bring back into use a valuable disused resource and capacity building intiative for the local community, BME in particular.

Firhill Road Sports Ground is situated at 140a Firhill Road, Bellingham London SE6 in the London Borough of Lewisham. The site is owned by the Borough Council and managed by The Consortium on a 25 year lease. The sports ground consists of 12 acres of enclosed land that was once used as football and ruby pitches. There are only temporary buildings and a small part of the site remains overgrown.

The project presently involves maintaining the sports field and in the near future building a new multi-purpose pavilion. Once fully restored the new site will provide a unique education, youth and community facility and shared ‘home ground’ base for several local sports teams

The new facility will provide local people, particularly the young; with:

• Access to a clean, safe educational, cultural, sporting and enterprise activities.
• Cost effective and attractive social facility for weddings receptions, christenings, funerals, anniversaries, meetings, conferences etc.
• The Opportunity to receive high quality sports coaching from experienced coaches.
• The opportunity to play in competitive teams at different levels
• The opportunity to participate in wider range of individual and teams sports in a multicultural setting.
• The opportunity to participate in physical activities that promote an active life style and physical fitness.
• Activities that are challenginging, enjoyable and fun.
• Routes for progression and development for gifted and talented young people.