Jump to it! Shropshire to get free running centre
Shropshire is to get its first ‘free running’ centre after securing a £10,000 funding package.
It is hoped the parkour centre might stop anti-social behaviour, after children have been reported running on rooftops in Shrewsbury.
Parkour was first created in France in the 1980s but took off worldwide after one of its founders, Sebastian Foucan, demonstrated his skills in the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale.
The Shropshire parkour centre will be run by Elite Dance Studios of Shrewsbury, which is currently looking for a suitable venue in the town. January 2018 is the scheduled launch date.
Joe Lockley, club development manager at county sports partnership Energize, helped the studio to write and submit the funding bid to Sport England.
He said: “It all came about after we saw the high demand for this free running in some of the more deprived areas, following a dance satellite club based at Kynaston Road in Shrewsbury.
“We will now be working with the police on this, using a positive club to hopefully stop negative behaviour – such as reports of children running on rooftops in parts of Shrewsbury.”
Natalie Prudence, from Elite Dance Studios, said: “When I first met with Joe and Energize a year ago, none of us had even considered that this would happen.
“Initially the first meetings were to develop the dance, bringing in new members and building on what we had achieved up until that point.
“The suggestion to apply for small grants funding came from Joe when we’d been discussing the absence of a local parkour facility, and the comments received in surveys in which many had stated it would be a welcome addition.
“As a studio that already incorporates acrobatics and tumbling into its timetable, it is an exciting development.”
She added: “Being awarded the funding means we are able to begin work on creating the parkour facility, ensuring that we are able to have high quality equipment, bought or made to our specifications, and bringing other local companies in to do the work for us.
“This equipment will also contribute to the acrobatic and tumbling sessions we already provide, allowing us to further increase the standard of training or members receive.”
