Businesses back International Children’s Games 2011

Jun 9 2011 Hamilton Advertiser

A MAJOR British business has agreed to back the International Children’s Games, due to take place in Lanarkshire later this year.

UK Steel Enterprise are to plough £20,000 in the event’s badminton competition at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility.

The company aim to support businesses and communities in steel-producing areas.

Area manager Anne Clyde said: “The fact the badminton events are taking place on the site of what was arguably Lanarkshire’s best-known steel-making facility makes our support entirely appropriate.

“The new sports facility at Ravenscraig is such a positive development and shows the drive towards regeneration of one of Europe’s largest brownfield sites.

“The International Children’s Games is a fantastic event, bringing together young people from all around the world and we are delighted to help make the event a very real success.”

UK Steel Enterprise Ltd (UKSE) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, itself a huge multi-national group.

The company’s decision to back the games is a huge boost to the Team Lanarkshire badminton squad, comprising 15-year-olds Euan Watson, from Lanark, and Lauren Colley of East Kilbride; twins Sophie and Hannah Morrison (14), from Motherwell; Kirstie Baird (14), Lanark; Darren Reid (14), from Uddingston; Thomas Darling (14), from Cumbernauld, and 13-year-old Alex Dunn, from Motherwell.

Team coach Andy Bowman, from Bellshill, said: “The youngsters are really enthusiastic and very talented, all bar one are members of the Scotland national under-16 squad.

“At the moment we are training weekly at Ravenscraig but from the end of June, we’ll be raising that to twice a week.”

During the ICG, which takes place from August 3 to 8 at venues throughout North and South Lanarkshire, around 1500 young people from up to 80 cities worldwide will compete in athletics, swimming, football, tennis, badminton, judo, golf, volleyball and sailing.