Category: Sport

Bursary to help tackle sports inequality

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council launches bursary to help tackle sports inequality

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) is proud to launch its Access to Activity bursary, designed to help tackle the financial challenges that may prevent 12–15-year-olds in the borough from taking part in sport.

The bursary offers up to £200 to help fund, or part fund, sports club membership costs, subscriptions and match fees. It is open to young people who receive free school meals and/or whose parents or guardians receive Universal Credit payments, and those who are living or have previously lived in care.

The bursary will open to applications on Monday 30 March 2026 and will close on 31 December 2026, or when the funding has been fully allocated.

The bursary will see a variety of local sports clubs participate throughout the year, and more clubs are welcome to apply to take part.

The bursary supports the aims of EEBC’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2025-28) which focuses on increasing physical activity, improving wellbeing and reducing health inequalities in Epsom and Ewell.

Ewell Epsom councillor Clive WoodbridgeCouncillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee, commented: “We know that for many families, the cost of taking part in sport can be a real obstacle. By helping to ease financial pressures, the Access to Activity bursary can help ensure 12–15-year-olds can take part in a sport they enjoy, feel included and thrive! We encourage parents, guardians and young people to explore what’s available and apply.

“Through our Health and Wellbeing Strategy, we remain committed to supporting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our children and young people. The bursary now offers eligible older children the same opportunity that younger children received through our first Young Legends programme, launched last year to help 9–11-year-olds build confidence, learn new skills and form social connections. Having seen the positive impact on participants, we’re excited that Young Legends will return this summer.

“We would like to thank our partners for their invaluable support with the Access to Activity bursary and the many community activities delivered throughout the year. Their help is essential in bringing our strategy to life.”

Application process

This is a one-off grant, and priority will be given to eligible residents who have not received an EEBC grant aimed at facilitating access to physical activity in the past five years.

If the 12–15-year-old is eligible, applicants will need to follow this process:

        1. arrange a taster session directly with participating sports club – the list of participating clubs can be found on the council’s website and it will be updated on an ongoing basis
        2. following the taster, if the 12–15-year-old wants to continue and enrol with the club, the council’s application form will need to be completed
        3. EEBC will then be in touch to confirm next steps.

Note: If the application is successful, the applicant will be asked to contact the sports club directly to enrol in their chosen activity.

All information about the Access to Activity bursary — including eligibility, the application form and participating sports clubs (updated as the bursary progresses) — can be found here: https://www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/access-to-activity 

For any questions, email the Community Development team at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council: [email protected]

 

Brooklands to celebrate centenary of first Grand Prix

Britain’s very first Grand Prix was staged at Brooklands, the birthplace of British motorsport, in 1926. Now, celebrating this year’s centenary in spectacular style, the award-winning Brooklands Museum is staging a very special event on Saturday 8 August – 100 years to the day after the original race was held.

Marking this milestone in British motor racing history, an amazing gathering of 100 Grand Prix cars will be on show at Brooklands, ranging from the very early pioneers to the high-tech Formula 1 machines of today.

Adding to the excitement, many of the earlier machines will be revving up on sections of the original banked oval circuit, while more recent racers will join them in action on the adjoining test track at Mercedes-Benz World – itself located within the historic 2.75-mile speedway.

“It’s going to be a wonderful occasion and a very apt celebration to mark the 100 years of Grand Prix racing in Great Britain ,” said Alex Patterson, Chief Executive of Brooklands Museum. “The Brooklands race in 1926 was fraught with danger and bravery, laying the foundation for Britain’s successful motorsport industry. Paying tribute to that watershed moment in time, this summer’s very special day will feature what’s certainly one of the biggest and most comprehensive collections of Grand Prix cars ever seen and, with many of those performing, it’s going to be a truly fitting tribute.”

Britain hosts its first Grand Prix in 1926
Brooklands was built in the Surrey countryside and was the brainchild of Hugh and Ethel Fortescue Locke King. When it opened in 1907, it was the world’s first purpose-built, banked motor racing circuit. With road racing banned on the British mainland, it quickly became the country’s motorsport capital, as well as home to equally intrepid early aviators.

It was therefore the natural venue for the Royal Automobile Club to stage Britain’s very first official Grand Prix. A one-off circuit layout was prepared using large sections of the banked outer oval track, with temporary earthwork chicanes on the finishing straight adding to the challenge.

On Saturday 7 August 1926, nine Grand Prix cars lined up before a vast crowd. Four hours later, victory went to the Delage 15-S-8 driven by French aces Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal, with Malcolm Campbell upholding local honour by finishing second in his Bugatti 39A. While many of the marques competing that day are no longer at the pinnacle of the sport, Aston Martin ­– a participant in 1926 – is very much on today’s Formula 1 grid.

Brooklands held a second Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix the following summer – again won by the then state-of-the-art Delage – and two further unofficial Grands Prix races were staged at Donington Park in the late thirties.

With the outbreak of war in Europe, Brooklands was given over to aircraft production. Hawker and Vickers expanded their established factories, building over the circuit’s concrete straights and assembling more than 18,000 Hurricane fighters, Wellington bombers and other military aircraft before Armistice was declared in 1945.

Brookland’s racing legacy
With Brooklands no longer available, motor racing quickly relocated to the runways and perimeter roads of many decommissioned World War II airfields. The former RAF base at Silverstone held the country’s first post-war Grand Prix in 1948 and, two years later, had the honour of hosting the very first points-scoring Formula 1 race. Thereafter, the British Grand Prix was also organised at Aintree and Brands Hatch before Silverstone became a permanent fixture on the World Championship calendar in 1987.

Although Brooklands fell dormant, its legacy endured. Significant sections of the circuit have been carefully preserved by the Brooklands Museum Trust, and its influence shaped Britain’s post-war motorsport landscape. Teams including Connaught, Cooper, Brabham and Tyrrell established themselves nearby in Surrey, while reigning World Champion McLaren is still based just a few miles away in Woking.

“Brooklands remains close to the hearts of motorsport fans everywhere and this is a great moment for the Museum to honour the past but importantly to look forward to the next 100 years of innovation,” said Patterson. “We are thrilled to be honouring the venue’s unique heritage with this summer’s centenary celebration. Alongside this remarkable array of cars, we will be inviting many Formula 1 drivers who have competed in British Grands Prix to join us for what promises to be a truly memorable and unmissable event.”

Tickets are now available via the official BrooklandsMuseum.com website. Adult admission is priced at £39.95 in advance, with tickets for accompanied children aged 4 to 17 (under 4s are free) available at £19.95. Members will be able to purchase tickets to an exclusive VIP Preview evening on the Friday and offered Saturday admission for £19.95 (child £9.95) – a special price that includes an official Show Guide.

Early booking is strongly advised for what is expected to be a truly outstanding occasion.

Brooklands to celebrate centenary of Britain's very first Grand Prix

New Provider to Manage Rainbow Leisure Centre

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council appoints new provider to manage leisure services at Rainbow Leisure Centre from 1 October 2025

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is pleased to announce that Places Leisure has been appointed as the new operator of the Rainbow Leisure Centre. The contract will run from 1 October 2025 for 10 years with an option to extend for a further five years and was approved by both the council’s Community & Wellbeing and Strategy & Resources committees at special meetings held on 17 June 2025.

Residents will continue to receive high-quality leisure, health and wellbeing services and this council-owned leisure centre will continue to be financially sustainable.

Places Leisure, part of the PfP Group the UK’s Leading Social Enterprise, will invest its own capital into the leisure centre upgrading the gym, studios, swimming changing rooms and more.

They will also offer a wider range of health and wellbeing-related activities, delivered both inside and outside of the leisure centre, including:

    • An Active Communities programme, including exercise referrals for falls prevention, cardiac rehab and weight management; community wellbeing walks, as well as programmes such as ‘move through menopause’ and Health MOTs, which will support local people in an inclusive way and enable the community to thrive.
    • New leisure centre programmes targeted at under 16s and the elderly: including LES Mills exercises classes and Saturday Night Project activities for the under 16s and new EGYM and walking sports to help older adults be more physically active.
    • Social value initiatives: such as work placement opportunities including for unemployed and disabled people; leisure industry careers advice and curriculum support; and supporting the local economy by keeping spending within the local supply chain.

Places Leisure will continue to invest in the environmental sustainability of the centre, this will be overseen by an environmental coordinator.

cllr Neil Dallen Epsom & EwellCouncillor Neil Dallen, Chair of the Strategy & Resources Committee said:

“The Rainbow Leisure Centre is a key community facility due, in no small part, to the great work of Greenwich Leisure Limited, and we would like to convey our deep thanks for their hard work and efforts in operating the leisure centre over the last 22 years.

“As this is a significant contractual arrangement for the council, the operator of the centre is a key strategic partner. It was therefore important to us that for the foreseeable future, any operator could meet our core health and wellbeing service delivery requirements as well as our financial criteria.

“We carried out a transparent, compliant, and competitive two-stage procurement process and are very pleased to welcome Places Leisure as the new operator of the Rainbow Leisure Centre. Their bid not only provided substantial investment to improve the building, upgrade areas and equipment, but also clearly showed how they will build on the current service.”

Ewell Epsom councillor Clive WoodbridgeCouncillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee said:

“I would like to welcome Places Leisure as operator of the Rainbow Leisure Centre, and we look forward to working together to deliver more holistic health and wellbeing services to meet the needs of residents.

“The leisure centre is a vital community space and part of Places Leisure’s offering is that they will provide an inclusive and robust active communities programme that will continue to address the council’s health and wellbeing priorities.

“This exciting new approach will benefit residents as it means that services can be delivered both at the leisure centre itself as well as in the community, supporting all our residents, including the young and the elderly and those with a disability or illness. We look forward to our residents benefitting from this balanced and more comprehensive approach to health and wellbeing in the borough.

“Finally, I would also like to offer my thanks to Greenwich Leisure Limited for their diligence and hard work including through challenging times such as Covid. They leave a positive legacy on which we can build.”

Dan WalkerDan Walker, Business Development Director at Places Leisure, said:

“A healthy community cannot exist without the facilities that enables it to thrive. Rainbow Leisure Centre is the beating heart of this community, and we look forward to a successful partnership with Epsom &  Ewell Borough Council, local stakeholders, and of course the colleagues who deliver the services to the local community.

“Our primary goal is to support the local community to create more active places and empower more healthy people, which is why within the first year of our contract we will invest c£4.7million in a series of projects including a new fitness suite, studios and changing facilities. Our commitment will further boost community activities, inspire people of all ages to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, whilst generating over £5million of social value each year.”

Places Leisure is a social enterprise which is passionate about ‘creating active places and healthy people’ and improving opportunities for communities to be physically active. It experiences over 30 million visits per annum across the 101 leisure facilities that it operates on behalf of local authorities across the country and supports over 126k children and adults learning to swim each year. https://www.placesleisure.org/