HRH Prince William becomes Patron of new campaign protecting playing fields in the UK

June 7, 2010 - PRLog -- 7TH June 2010
HRH Prince William becomes Patron of new campaign protecting playing fields in the UK  
Prince William launched The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge today, a programme to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Prince William will also become an active Patron of the new campaign.
This exciting project, led by the charity Fields in Trust, aims to protect 2,012 playing fields across the UK by 2012, the year of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The new permanently protected playing fields will be named The Queen Elizabeth II Fields and in Scotland, The Queen Elizabeth Fields.
This initiative has particular pertinence given the other landmark occasion scheduled for 2012 – the London Olympics.  
Playing fields continue to be under threat of development with a new report issued in May 2010 indicating that 6,000 playing fields have been lost since 1992 alone. Access to outdoor space is vital for communities. It can help improve social cohesion and reduce levels of obesity and anti-social behaviour, which is why this ambitious challenge will be the largest ever programme to protect and improve outdoor recreational space in the UK. Fields in Trust will encourage Local Authorities across the country to nominate fields to be protected as part of the scheme. They will then challenge the public to create their own legacy by voting for their favourite field to be protected and become a Queen Elizabeth II Field. This voting process will take place in 2011 and votes will be cast at www.qe2fields.com.
Prince William said: “The year 2012 marks the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to my Grandmother’s 60 glorious years on The Throne than to dedicate to The Queen this programme that will save playing fields for future generations.
“The sad truth is that, over the years, thousands of playing fields have been lost to development, and many more are under threat today. For more than 80 years, the Fields in Trust charity has been working hard to combat this threat by protecting playing fields across the UK from development. There has never been greater need for their work.
“The Queen Elizabeth II Fields challenge is ambitious but much needed.  It will require the support of sporting bodies, local authorities and, most importantly, the British people in local communities up and down the country.  I am certain the Fields will bring lasting benefit to countless individual lives.  Being able to play outdoors is a basic right of childhood.  The Queen Elizabeth II Fields will guarantee that millions more children are able to enjoy that right both now and in the future.”
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: “‘Playing fields play a vital role in our communities and I am thrilled to see the launch of this fantastic new initiative. What better way to mark both the Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics than by ensuring future generations will have access to space for sport and play. The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge will unite the country in support of these two events whilst also securing a legacy that will benefit the health and well-being of communities for many, many years to come.”
Alison Moore Gwyn, Chief Executive of Fields in Trust said: “Fields in Trust’s core vision is to ensure that everyone – whether they are young or old, able or disabled and no matter where they live – has access to outdoor space for sport, play and recreation. Access to these facilities is vital to ensuring our communities are robust and healthy – a health that is achieved not just through participating in physical activity but, equally importantly, by providing a sense of community cohesion.
“The 1,271 playing fields that we currently protect across the UK are often the green heart of the local area.  Through The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge we want to bring this same benefit to even more communities.  FIT has benefitted enormously from Royal Patronage since our foundation in 1925 and we are extremely excited to be working with Prince William to achieve this new goal.”
A photo to accompany this release is attached.
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:
www.qe2fields.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Queen-Elizabeth-II-Fiel...
For further information please contact:
Helen Griffiths, Fields in Trust on: Helen.griffiths@fieldsintrust.org or 020 7427 2110
Hannah Armstrong, St. James’s Palace Press Office on: Hannah.armstrong@royal.gsx.gov.uk or 020 7024 5618

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