News
March 2013Easter Holiday Opening HoursBisham Abbey will be open at the following times over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend: Friday 29th March | 08:00 - 18:00 | Saturday 30th March | 08:00 - 19:00 | Sunday 31st March | 08:00 - 19:00 | Monday 1st April | 08:00 - 18:00 |
March 2013
Major Redevelopment Plans AnnouncedSport England’s improvement plans for Bisham Abbey have been granted full planning permission by local councillors. The improvements will bring the outdated accommodation block into the 21st century with 50 new high-quality double rooms with associated catering facilities, replace an existing grass pitch with an artificial grass pitch, redevelop 2 exiting grass pitches and provide a dedicated changing pavilion for these which will help meet the growing demand for year-round sport by the Centre’s many users. Work is expected to commence in April 2013.
March 2013Clay Tennis Courts - Now OpenAfter temporary winter closure, the clay tennis courts are now open again. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. To find out how to book our indoor courts, please visit: http://www.bishamabbeynsc.co.uk/bisham_abbey/Bookings
October 2012Bisham Abbey set for 21st Century MakeoverThe world-leading sports facilities at Bisham Abbey, where more than 30 British Olympic medalists trained for London 2012 are set to get even better if Sport England’s improvement plans are approved by local councillors. Read More... These athletes won five gold medals – so if Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre was a country, it would have finished 16th in the medal table at London 2012. It is also home to our men’s and women’s hockey teams as well as being a thriving community sports centre – with around 180,000 visits to play sport by local people every year. More than 70% of those who visit Bisham are community users. Now Sport England has revealed plans to make further improvements, bringing the outdated accommodation block into the 21st century with 50 new high-quality double rooms and replacing an existing grass pitch with an artificial grass pitch that will be help meet the growing demand for year-round sport by the centre’s many users. Sport England Property Director, Charles Johnston, said: “These improvements are part of our plans to ensure Bisham remains at the forefront of sporting excellence for both grassroots participants and elite athletes. We have consulted extensively prior to submitting our proposals and I’m delighted to say that so far we have had around 50 supportive letters from local people. Bisham is very much part of the community of Marlow, so having the support of local people is very important to us.” A planning application submitted by Serco, which manages Bisham Abbey on behalf of Sport England, also includes proposals to improve the landscaping and habitat at Bisham as well as a small increase in parking provision at the site to improve traffic management, so that users no longer have to park on grass verges. Serco was contracted last year for a period of 15 years to run and manage two key National Sports Centres, including Bisham Abbey, on behalf of Sport England. Keith Thomas, Director, Leisure, Serco said, “Bisham Abbey is the home of sports training for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, professional sportsmen and women and community users alike. The planned improvements will bring yet another dimension to the facilities we can provide on behalf of Sport England cementing Bisham as a key home for sports training and re-establishing the facility as a ‘World Class’ training venue.” The cost of the proposed improvements of around £6 million would be met through Sport England National Lottery funding. http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/our_news/bisham_abbey_makeover.aspx
October 2012Bisham Abbey Open Day - 21st OctoberBisham Abbey National Sport Centre will be offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to try a different sport at an Open Day on Sunday 21 October, from 10:00 - 16:00. The Sports Centre offers a wide range of sporting activities to enjoy, from tennis to hockey, sailing to golf. Children's activities will also be on offer. Read More... Taster Sessions for adults and juniors will include:
• Hockey
• Tennis
• Football
• Golf
• Angling
• Squash
• Racketball
• Rowing
Bisham Abbey also offers a fully equipped, air conditioned gym with state of the art equipment and free parking. Visitors will be able to speak to a personal instructor, receive a gym tour, learn how to get more from a workout, discover great value gym membership offers and try a taster workout class in Spin or Kettle Bells. If you are an existing member, you can also bring a friend for free to try out the gym or a new class*.
We look forward to seeing you!
*Terms and conditions apply. Non-member must register. Offer applicable on 21 October 2012 only.
February 2012Football League Exit TrialsThe Football League exit trials are held every year in the February half-term and according to the Football League's head of youth development, former Wolves manager Graham Hawkins, they are becoming bigger and bigger every year. This year the trials came to bisham Abbey on the 17th February 2012. Read More... The trials which are almost a decade old, were once only open to players attached to officially recognised academies but for the last three years those belonging to a club's centre of excellence have been eligible as well. They take place over three days at Bisham Abbey, Lilleshall and, finally, Leeds, with approx. 100 boys attending each day. Every venue hosts four trial games, with the intention that all players have at least an hour to impress in his chosen position. As the scouts started to arrive, the tension at Bisham Abbey reached its peak as the boys queued up waiting to register in the Warwick room they came from all levels of the Football League but also from universities and private academies. But for every scout that attended each one will have had a different objectives and agenda. Unfortunately there are no official stats available about how many players have been signed by a club after being spotted at an exit trial. However, Hawkins and the Football League's hardworking youth development business manager Jim Briden estimate that 55% of the players at last year's trials had contact with another club. The trials cost around £15,000. Despite the arguments about the merits of youth systems and academy football, who suggest that it is under-funded and not producing enough players, the intention behind the exit trials is clearly applaudible. In an era when football is a wealthy global business, people can be reduced to statistics, the exit trials are an example of football's human face. As Hawkins said to me with great sincerity: "The care and welfare of the players is paramount." Unfortunately for many of the hopefuls at Bisham Abbey the exit trials will be another step as they slip further away from their dream of playing professionally. But for perhaps just a handful of those lucky few picked up then it will all have been worth it and we have our fingers firmly crossed!
January 2012Bisham Abbey FAB Academy director brings home the trophies!!The first ever Asian Football Awards supported by The FA and Kick It Out, with Sporting Equals as its legacy partner saw leading figures come out to support the glitzy event at the home of football, Wembley Stadium. Read More... Guests for this event included David Bernstein (FA Chairman), Paul Elliot, Graham Le Saux, Piara Powar, Mihir Bose, Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) and award winners Michael Chopra and Manish Bhasin… and near a little town called Marlow the director of FAB Academy at Bisham Abbey Nas Bashir!! Nas Bashir, director of FAB Academy (based at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre) was one of the selected representatives who had the privilege of being invited to attend the event due to his nomination for Coach of the Year award. Unfortunately for his brother, Nas was unable to attend, so in his absence and amongst the wash of suits, his brother Tas had to collect the award on his behalf with FAB academy’s head coach Chris Ayres. The first call of the night was for ‘coach of the year’ award so Tas was on strict instructions to behave himself and had to watch whilst Chris was merrily enjoying the occasion swigging champagne!!!! With the tip off of having to prepare a speech before the day, hopes were high and the troublesome two were not disappointed when Nas’s name was read out as the Winner against his four contenders. However despite indulging in a particularly lavish three course meal amongst the other 300 guests at the impressive Wembley stadium, Tas was unable to relax straight away as he was whisked off to do a press interview after collecting the award. The AFA managed to engage with key representatives of those individuals working hard to engage with their communities and develop Asians within the game. The event brought together representatives of clubs and organisations such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs, Aston Villa, QPR, Wolves, Charlton, Liverpool, The PFA and many leading Asian organisations. Nas Bashir was nominated for the Coach of the year award namely for all his hard work with the FAB Football Academy at Bisham Abbey and we are delighted he was recognised for all his hard work and able to pick up the award on the night. Imran Hassan Co-Founder Asian Football Awards "It was really pleasing seeing so many key figures supporting and enjoying the awards, but the hard work begins now in our legacy programme." The Asian Football Awards are due to be aired on Sony Entertainment Network Fri 10th Feb 2012. Sky Channel 782 and it sounds as if a few beers in thanks are definitely due between the brothers!! Congratulations to Nas Bashir FAB Academy Bisham Abbey director for this fantastic achievement …and also perhaps to his brothers steel nerves for collecting the award on his behalf!
January 2012Sailing School receives Royal visit at London Boat ShowDuring a visit to the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show at Excel on Wednesday 11 January HRH The Royal Princess Anne stopped and chatted to Roy May and Tom Sowerby of local business Bisham Abbey Sailing and Navigation School on the School’s stand. Read More... The School has been exhibiting at the Boat Show for some 17 years and Her Royal Highness was interested in all the activities running at the School, particularly dinghy sailing for youngsters and to hear that the School has been training some of the employees working on the Olympic site in Stratford in water safety. Being the year of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Her Royal Highness was also intrigued to hear that the Duke of Edinburgh had visited the School at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 2002. For Further details on the Bisham Abbey Sailing school please see their page on this website.
December 2011Bisham Abbey Prime Timers Celebrate in style!Bisham Abbey members celebrated in style on 16th December as they were waited on hand and foot in the beautiful 12th Century Abbey for a Christmas Luncheon. Read More... Jane Mannerings (Bisham Abbey personal trainer) looked very festive dressed all in red as she greeted her guests and she proved to be a stunning host to her dedicated group of 20 or so ‘Prime Timers’ members who attended the Christmas lunch she had organised for them. The group were met by Jane on arrival at the Abbey and escorted to the Margaret Dickinson Lounge, overlooking the River Thames where a table fit for Father Christmas awaited them! Complete with silver candelabras and Christmas crackers, the jolly group exchanged token gifts and enjoyed a sumptuous 3 course meal served by the superb Bisham Abbey catering team. Bisham Abbey Prime timers club offers two weekly sessions for the over 50’s to help the community get more active with age, it also offers the opportunity for weekly health checks. Jane Mannerings has been running the sessions for over a year now and her popularity and dedication to the group has seen her class numbers soar. The group partake in one gym session and one exercise class per week in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It is a great opportunity for members to not only keep fit and active, but also have the opportunity to socialise and make friends with people of the same age. …But December 16th was a time for frivolity and not hard work! So as the group tucked into their Christmas puds, the gym was the last thing on their minds!! And I’m sure Jane was only to keen to remind them they’d have to work extra hard in the New Year to work it all off!!
November 2011Young Ambassadors Conference at Bisham AbbeyDozens of teenagers from every secondary school in Berkshire will kicked off a major sporting event at Bisham Abbey in November aimed at encouraging youngsters to get more involved in competitive sport. Bisham Abbey was proud to welcome One hundred and twenty Young Ambassadors aged 16 to 18 officially to launch the Berkshire School Games at the venue. Read More... The Berkshire School Games actually take place next year but the Young Ambassadors were keen to promote them now as part of their brief to spread the word and encourage more people of all ages to get involved in sport as players, volunteers, officials or in other supporting roles like announcers or sports reporters. As part of Bisham Abbey and sport England’s objectives ‘Grow, Sustain and Excel’ this conference went a long way to contributing towards this vision. The School Games are part of the Government’s initiative to encourage more competitive sport in schools. The scheme has been developed to put sport on the national agenda as the country gears up for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games in London. The Berkshire Games will showcase sports including athletics, hockey, badminton, netball, handball and cricket, with inclusive events for young disabled people including Boccia, new age kurling, swimming and sports hall athletics. The local rounds of the School Games start this term with inter school competitions. Next year, pupils from Berkshire’s winning teams in these competitions will face each other at Olympic and Paralympic-style multi-sports events being held at Bradfield College in April and then in June in Windsor and Eton. The School Games will initially run for three years and is being pioneered locally by the newly formed Local Organising Committee, chaired by Derek Peaple of Park House School in Newbury. Their key role in organising and supporting the delivery of the Games was one of the topics discussed by the 120 Young Ambassadors that attended Bisham Abbey at the conference. They also get had the opportunity to meet Paralympic Gold Medallist Danny Crates and reflected on how they could effectively publicise the importance of sport and physical activity to their peers. Derek Peaple, Head of Park House School and Sports College in Newbury and Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the School Games in Berkshire, said: “Given the central role that these Young Ambassadors will play in the delivery of next year’s School Games, it is very fitting that we are launching them at the Conference at Bisham Abbey.” The Conference at the National Sports Centre, Bisham Abbey, was organised by the Berkshire School Games Organisers with input from representatives of the Committee organising the Games in Berkshire ans supported by the team onsite at Bisham. Mark Lawrie, Chief Executive of Berkshire County Sports Partnership, said: “The Berkshire School Games offer a fantastic opportunity for the organisations that provide sport in the county to celebrate the achievements of young people in sport and to get even more young people involved in school and community sport in the future.” The team at Bisham Abbey were delighted to be involved in the event and offer their support with the use of the venue and hope this went some way to motivating and inspiring them to achieve their goals. Mike Diaper, Director of Youth and Communities at Sport England, who are investing up to £35 million of National Lottery funding for the School Games, said: “The School Games will help to inspire a generation of young people to get involved in competitive sport. Alongside our Olympic legacy programme, Places People Play, this will ensure we build a lasting sporting legacy beyond next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
October 2011Inter schools Hockey Tournament at Bisham AbbeyMonday October 17th saw another great day in developing community relationships between Bisham Abbey and the local schools of Berkshire. A whirlwind of excitement and anticipation surrounded the event and it was thrilling to see the student’s enthusiasm and delight at the opportunity of training in such a prestigious venue. Read More... The annual inter-schools hockey tournament involves students from Year 5 and 6 from the local area. In total the number of students involved in the event at Bisham Abbey reached approximately 140 with another 20 members of staff who also came along to help support on the day. Bisham Abbey kindly agreed to host the event and give the children the experience, and the opportunity to use the same training facilities and pitch as both the men’s and ladies G.B. teams who regularly train on Astroturf at the venue. Leaders from Furze Platt Senior School helped organise and officiate this exciting tournament and winners from both the boys and girls event will be being invited to play again in the county finals at the beginning of 2012. We hope that we may continue to develop this essential integration between the elite and the community and look to develop this important relationship. We look forward to further future events of this nature and were happy we were able to support the advancement of these young students enthusiasm and passion for sport. Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style. Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style. Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style.
September 2011Jatta VGS, Norweigen School at Bisham AbbeyThe Norwegian school group ‘Jatta VGS’ came to Bisham Abbey this month for an eight night, multi sports residential training camp this month. Read More... The sports college from Norway brought over a huge group of 58 students, the majority of whom were resident at Bisham Abbey for the duration of their stay, with the overflow of the group staying at Longridge activity centre a few minutes down the road from the abbey. The pupils who were delighted with the unseasonal heat wave they managed to catch throughout their stay (!) were also extremely impressed by Bisham Abbey and the quality of the facilities on offer at the venue. During their stay the pupils received football, rugby, hockey and tennis coaching, using high quality coaches sourced through the staff at Bisham Abbey. They did however take some time out with a couple of trips into London to experience the standard tourist trails and to watch a couple of professional football matches, before competing in their own against the Bisham Abbey Football Academy. The team who have already expressed their desire to return next year were a fantastic group of individual who were a pleasure to host and we hope we can look forward to welcoming them back again next year! Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style. Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style. Additional hidden paragraphs to go here, they should always in in the normal paragraph style.
August 2011Bisham Abbey Tennis Success!Three pupils of the WIN Tennis Academy based at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre - have tasted elite success in this year’s AEGON Junior National Championships and the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Finals. Read More... AEGON is one of the UK’s most prestigious junior events, which has seen the like of Andy Murray fight his way to success, and now 15-year-old Harriet Dart and 16-year-old Josh Page look set for similar success. Harriet claimed both the U16 Girls Singles and Doubles titles, while Josh walked away U16 Boys Singles Champion. Success elsewhere in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon Finals saw the 14-year-old Hannah Brent completed a hat-trick of success for WIN by claiming the Girls Singles title. The three pupils have been based at Bisham Abbey for three years now training with the High performance WIN Tennis Academy. The WIN Tennis Academy is accredited by the LTA as an International High Performance Centre and strives to develop young tennis players to the highest standard, with the aim of creating tennis champions. On Harriet and Josh’s success, Head of WIN Academies, Mike Walker, said: "I am delighted that Harriet and Josh have won the u/16 titles at the AEGON Junior National Championships – they are both valued members of the Win Tennis Academy programme and we have seen them grow into self-assured and mature individuals. They have consistently shown that they are totally committed to improving their tennis and fitness, culminating in these fantastic results. “We have an excellent team of coaches and staff who work extremely hard with our player’s day in, day out. They are dedicated to giving them the tools and confidence to achieve their ambitions and it is a tribute to them that we have two great examples in Harriet and Josh of what can be achieved when you have the desire and determination to succeed.” Great News for our talent development at Bisham Abbey and big congratulation to the three young competitors!
July 2011Community meets Elite athletesWednesday 20th July saw a fantastic interaction between the local community and Elite sportsmen at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. Read More... Cowplain community school pupils from years 8and 10 had the exciting opportunity to visit Bisham Abbey earlier this month. The group of approx. 40 pupils and a small collection of staff arrived early in the morning to a 30 minute site tour with a member of Bisham Abbey’s team. They were given an information pack on arrival to help guide them through the day including some details about Bisham Abbey, the National Centres and Sport England. They then had the unique experience of being invited into the Physiology lab at the English Institute of Sports (EIS) performance centre at Bisham Abbey. They were introduced to Jean Watson, Head of operations in EIS at Bisham Abbey who gave them a tour of the facilities and educated them on the work undertaken by the staff of the EIS and their role in elite development. Furthermore they were then given the privilege of being taken into the EIS high performance gym with Jean where they were able to indulge in Q&A. The large school group breaked for lunch in the Great Hall alongside England and Korea’s men’s Hockey squads. After which they were permitted to watch England Hockey and Korea in action as they took each other on in what was the second of three matches which they went on to play during their training camp at Bisham. Their day ended with a 30 minute presentation from Kerrie Cook sales Manager at Bisham abbey on the role of the National Sports Centres and Bisham Abbey. After a brief Q&A They were then able to partake in two hours of facility hire of their choice, the school brought their own equipment with them and opted for Tennis and Football to bring the day to a close. The team received some fantastic feedback following the tour from the pupils and staff alike- ‘Brilliant trip, fantastic grounds’ ‘The trip was amazing, I would definately go again’ ‘I loved it and the food was amazing’ ‘Very interesting, I loved it’ ‘It was excellent, thank you’
July 2011Egypt V England HockeyThe Egyptians men’s Hockey team took advantage of the new astro turf at Bisham Abbey this month. The group, who were resident at the National Sports Centre for 5 nights, were also subject to two gruelling matches against the home GB team. Read More... England’s men gave the visiting team a shock with their skillfull play during the first match and took the Egyptian team down 3 – 1, however they soon began to prove themselves a worthy contestant by their draw of 3-3 only a short few days later in the last of two matches. Despite the result it was obvious that the hosts were unfortunate not to win having enjoyed the better of the chances throughout the match. Afterwards, Team Manager Andy Halliday said, “We struggled to break them down... They sat men behind the ball and we didn’t quite have enough about us to get through.” England’s players now prepare for next week’s London Cup in Chiswick with hundreds of school children set to cheer them on against Belgium later in the month as part of Schools Day.
July 2011Olympic FestivalAs part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad Open Weekend celebrations, the Wycombe Community Festival took place on Saturday 23rd July, from 1pm to 7pm, on the Rye in High Wycombe. Read More... The festival provided a free family fun day open to everyone to enjoy the variety of sporting taster sessions available and vibrant performances, colourful parades and also to learn about the types of sports and activities happening within their local area that they could get involved with. The event also provided a platform to showcase local young musical talent, with performances by visiting professional artists. The activities planned will encourage the community to take part in dancing, sporting activities and generally celebrating diverse cultures. Bisham abbey was proud to not only be a part of this event, but also contribute towards the success of this spectacular festival. The team from Bisham abbey were delighted by the enthusiasm and interest of the general public, the two paddle ergo’s which were organised to be brought down for the day provided the opportunity for the public to have a taste of a new sport and proved to be a real hit. Business development manager Claire Broomby commented; “I was amazed by the enthusiasm and response, the ergo’s weren’t vacant all day, in fact at several points during the day there was not only a queue, but a small crowd cheering the participants along! It was fantastic to see the athletes inspiring the community!” This was undoubtedly enhanced by the guidance, coaching and commitment of the four British Canoe Union athletes who also attended with the Bisham team and who offered encouragement and tips for those willing to participate. British Canoe Union athletes Hayleigh Mason, Ed Rutherford, Kristian Reeves and Tom Hide provided not only a fantastic role model for the younger participants throughout the day but also an excellent reflection on their commitment to their sport and willingness to give back to the community. The team were also supported by Bisham Abbey’s WIN tennis High performance Tennis Academy who also supported the team with free tennis taster sessions throughout the day. The Bisham abbey team produced a ‘Top Gear’ style leader board which represented the fastest time to 100 metres for various age groups. This provided a competitive element to the taster sessions and led to several members of the public coming back for a second and third go! The fastest time of the day (excluding the athletes!!) was a phenomenal 17.6 seconds by Matt who consequently won the prize of a 3 month membership at Bisham Abbey. All proceeds from the day will go towards a new legacy project endorsed by Sir Steve Redgrave. It will provide people throughout Buckinghamshire with the opportunity to try a large variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports within local clubs and facilities. The project has been recognised by the London 2012 Olympic committee, who granted it the 2012 inspire mark status.
Gym RefurbishmentThe gym, located in the sports centre has recently undergone a £300,000 refurbishment, with investment being made in state of the art gym equipment from supplier Life Fitness. New equipment includes treadmills, cross-trainers, spinning bikes, Power Plates and an extensive free weights area.
New WebsiteBisham Abbey has launched it's new website. Not only have we had a visual overhaul, but we're also adding in some great new features including a new online bookings system and online membership sign-up. If you have any feedback on the new site, please contact us.
|
|