The new ek robotics Sports CampusThe new ek robotics Sports Campus
The new ek robotics Sports Campus

Sporting stars mingle with sponsors and supporters at sports campus unveiling in Buckingham

Royal Latin School headteacher says the state-of-the-art new building 'has been a real team effort'

Around 200 people turned out for the long-awaited unveiling of a new state-of-the-art sports campus in Buckingham.

Sports stars mingled with sponsors, supporters and special guests at the opening ceremony of the the Royal Latin School's ek robotics Sports Campus on Wednesday evening.

After five years of fundraising, the £3 million new facility has been built on the existing school site in Buckingham, adjacent to a new 3G pitch funded by the Football Foundation.

The light, bright and fully accessible building includes a Fitness Suite, a Mind & Body Zone, and the Racelogic Sports Lab.

Olympians Greg Whyte OBE and Ben Hunt-Davis MBE joined guests for the unveiling, before joining students and staff on a tour of the new facilities.

Mayor of Buckingham, Margaret Gateley, and representatives from Buckinghamshire Council, London Marathon Charitable Trust, ek robotics, Lillingstone Trust, Racelogic, Vitalograph, The Football Association, LEAP and MK Dons were all present to see the facilities in action.

Video messages from absent friends and an array of sports stars, including England Rugby's Rachel Burford, Tokyo Olympian Charlie Elwes, racing drivers Marc Gene, Charlie Martin and Aaron Taylor-Smith, were also played to guests.

The building was officially opened by former Olympian Greg Whyte OBE cutting the ribbon before delivering the inaugural lecture.

Prof Whyte is perhaps best known for training celebrities to take on Comic Relief and Sport Relief challenges, including training David Walliams to swim the Channel and training Eddie Izzard to run 43 marathons in 50 days.

Headteacher David Hudson said: “This project has been a real team effort and I want to thank all of our sponsors, funders and the school community, past and present, for their help and support in making the Sports Campus possible.

"I do also want to thank publicly the amazing staff at the school for having the tenacity to see this project through to completion after a particularly challenging few years for everyone.

"I am delighted to see the students and members of our local community already benefiting from the facilities, and very much look forward to welcoming new visitors in the months ahead."

As part of the build-up to the ceremony, Olympic Bronze rowing champion, Charlie Elwes visited to host a coaching session with students in the VIVA Fitness Suite.

He said: "It's such an amazing place - I'm looking around and I could do everything I needed to in here. It's perfect. Enjoy it."

England rugby star Rachael Burford also returned after visiting at the start of the fundraising campaign four years ago.

She said: "To come back now and see all the hard work you've put in to make this facility what it is today is phenomenal. I really really wish at school age I had a gym like this."

The Sports Campus facilities are open to the community every evening and weekend, and memberships at VIVA, the new state-of-the-art fitness suite, are available now.

The school is keen to encourage local people to have a look at the facilities, with a special Black Friday membership offer.

For further details and to book a tour of VIVA, visit https://schoolhire.co.uk/buckingham/royal-latin-school/gym-membership/18265

After five years of fundraising, the £3 million new facility has been built on the existing school site in Buckingham, adjacent to a new 3G pitch funded by the Football Foundation.

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