A community football club has teamed up with students from the local secondary school to co-produce an app illustrating how sustainability and wellbeing has had a positive impact on users of a popular park in Cheltenham.
Leckhampton Rovers Football Club (LRFC) called in the support of the students on the Eco-Committee at The High School Leckhampton (HSL) to research and create content for the app as part of a wider initiative to celebrate how ‘greening’ the club’s home ground, The Burrow’s, has made a significant impact on the community.
The app, called The Burrow’s Field Sustainability Trail, highlights 18 key features as part of a circular tour of the park. Starting at the dugout café where food is sourced locally, power is supplied by the solar panels and heat by an air source heat pump, other features include a rainwater harvesting system, greater biodiversity through tree planting, ponds and meadows and a new circular footpath and cycle stand. HSL students helped write the content for the app while app development company Go Outside developed it.
“We have an active Eco-Committee at the school and this is the kind of project that we wanted to get involved with. It was exciting to learn about the items on the trail through the research we carried out. It is great that we can help educate other people about the benefits of sustainability.”
– Beatrice and Lauren at HSL
“One of the club’s main aims is to ‘develop outstanding green credentials.’ The club were delighted to partner with Rachel Sullivan and the students at HSL to develop something innovative for everyone to share.
“The app enables us to show our journey and we hope that it will help users of it to understand what they can do to help sustainability in their lives. We have worked really hard to help develop the Burrow’s over the past 7 years and this project is testimony to the hard work that the club has put in. It combines sustainability, education, innovation from young people and wellbeing and we hope will be a really valuable asset to the local community. It would be lovely to see it replicated elsewhere in Cheltenham.”
– Mark Beaney, Trustee and Pioneer of the Trail
LRFC has a 21-year lease from Cheltenham Borough Council to manage the facilities for the club and community and has secured funding of more than £1.1m since 2018 which has been invested in improving facilities at the Burrow’s.
“Working together, Leckhampton Rovers and the students of HSL have shown pride, spirit and community.
“The Burrow’s is a much-loved green space and the improvements made in recent years have transformed it into a place where wellbeing, biodiversity and recreation thrive side by side. It is fantastic to see our young residents taking the lead in sharing that story with others through the development of this new sustainability-trail app.
– Cllr Richard Pineger, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency,
“Their commitment, creativity and pride in this project reflect the values of our community, and Cheltenham Borough Council is proud to support initiatives that help safeguard and celebrate this vital space for generations to come.”
For media enquiries contact: communications telephone 01242 264154, email communications@cheltenham.gov.uk
Notes to editors:
Facilities at Burrow’s Field include:
- Four adult size football pitches.
- Two cricket squares.
- A modernised pavilion.
- BMX pump track.
- Playground.
- Café.
- Car park.
LRFC has:
- 56 teams across boys, girls, men’s and veterans football.
- More than 90 registered volunteers who support the club.
- A range of other activities have been / are being established including cricket, junior park run, fitness classes and disabled football.
- The club invests about £50k per annum into the Burrow’s to maintain it.
