Eleanor's 20:20 Vision for sport and Culture in Wales - Sport and Drama in our Communities

Speech by Eleanor Burnham on Thu 1st Feb 2007

I'd like to briefly speak to you about what it means to me to see so many activities for you to enjoy provided on your doorstep for free. I'm sure many people will agree with me when I say that this place and all of you are setting an fantastic example for the rest of Wales, a Wales in which everyone can go to their local school, playing field, community hall, or church hall and play football, hockey, basketball, or rugby, or act in a play, dance in a group, sing on a stage, or any activity you can think of! I would like to see this happening, not just here in Tonypandy, but all over Wales.

Thanks to many volunteers and their hard work, all of you can enjoy free coaching, use of sport facilities and buildings, a healthier lifestyle and a lot of fun! But there are many places in our country where this is still just an idea and not yet a reality.

I believe in creating a country where everyone has access to the sport and culture Wales is famous for, starting with their local football club or drama group right at the heart of their communities. No-one should have to lose out on these things because they are expensive or because they have nowhere to practice. These are things I'd like to change and we can change them. We have the coaches and volunteers willing to teach, we even have the right facilities in front of us, so what's stopping us?

Right now, there are buildings that stand empty for the equivalent of over 4 days a week. Every single day their doors shut and no one goes in or out. Sports halls stay silent and stages remain dark at the end of the day. Of course, you know I'm talking about your school buildings. They could offer not just you, but your mums, dads, grandparents and friends a place to play sport or take part in other activities.

I look forward to living in a country where these buildings are not locked up as soon as school has finished, but are open to local groups and organisations, charities and clubs. The space is there, right on our doorsteps, but there are funding barriers and rules that mean local people can't access their own facilities. I want to tackle the problems that currently stop us from making the most of our school buildings, and open them up into hubs for our communities. All over Wales we want to use this space in the best way possible, giving everyone the chance to go out and get healthy, have fun, make friends and be creative.

But even if we have the buildings, can we find the people willing to give up their time to teach and help others gain from their skills? Is there anyone out there who will spend hours with those who want to learn how to score a try? Or those who need to make a costume for their next play? The answer is yes, of course! There are people who are glad to spend their spare time coaching sports or activities. Some of them are here right now, and their generosity means that even more people can get out of their armchairs and be involved in a national heritage of their culture, their sport, their community.

Our communities should work in harmony to offer each of us access to the sports, clubs and activities we love. I would like to see the introduction of 'twinning' between schools and local community clubs so that when school stops for you, enjoying team sports and activities doesn't have to. If you like playing cricket, netball, football or doing athletics in your PE lessons or at after-school clubs, what's to stop you from getting extra coaching from those who know their sports best? Local clubs and team coaches should be able to walk into your school and give everyone a masterclass in how to score every time. We should be encouraging a climate of success in sports that can include the whole community. What's more, people should understand that their achievements in school don't end once the school gates close, their talent can benefit their community and even the nation. From local clubs to national and international success, the possibilities are there - we just need to open them up to everybody, young and old. We already have some fantastic teams in areas you don't often hear about on the news, such as our national Netball team - ranked 14th in the world. We should be doing more to use that talent to our best advantage, until we have a whole range of sporting achievements in each and every community that we can all be proud of.

Pride in these things should be something we can all experience and share. When we involve ourselves in grassroots activities; our local sports teams, our community clubs, we are engaging with a heritage which has seen Wales rise to be world class. Whether it's for our grand slam rugby success, our prestigious singers, like Bryn Terfel or our exciting new bands like The Automatic. I would like to see our political system support this heritage in Wales today, from the smallest village to the international stage. Councils and government in Wales should have a duty to ensure our cultural needs are taken into account when making decisions about our local environment and society.

I also want to see communities organising themselves to take control of parks and leisure facilities. That's real devolution - giving people a real stake in their communities.

I'm sure that with the right attitude to government investment and support, cultural pride, fun and fitness, and solidarity in our communities will be the driving forces that keep the heart of our nation beating.