BMX Club makes a big screen plea

Buy photos » Club member Libby Smith, Coun Rebecca Blake, Harry Bishop and Chris Warren, both Redditch Younger People's Forum members, at Redditch Premiers BMX Track. (s)

AN APPEAL has been launched to help bring the London 2012 Olympic experience to the streets of the borough.

Redditch Younger People's Forum is aiming to raise £1,800 to hire a big screen on August 10 so residents can watch the action live at Redditch Premiers BMX club in Matchborough, including the semi-final and final of the men's and women's BMX races.

The youth forum, which represents people under 26-years-old, is appealing for sponsorship to help turn the dream into a reality.

Harry Bishop, forum member, said: "The Olympics is such a massive event and we’re probably never going to see it in Britain again within our lifetimes, we would like to try and do something special in Redditch."

Steve Rooke, of Redditch Premiers, said with Team GB having a realistic prospect of winning gold in the women's and men's BMX it would be a great way to inspire some of the club's members - including ten-year-old Libby Smith from Greenlands who has only been riding two years and is already 15th in the world.

"The big competitions inspire all our members and there is no bigger event than the Olympics. This would be good for our club, the local community who support us and the whole town. I hope sponsors and donations will come forward."

Coun Rebecca Blake is backing the move.

"The club would be the natural home to a mass viewing of the games given the success of BMX in recent years. I hope the Youth Forum can achieve local sponsorship in time, it would be a real taste of history for many young people to be at the Redditch BMX track watching Team GB take a medal in the home games," she added.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the event should email redditchypf@hotmail.co.uk or call 07563 025517.

Regional news »