| 26 April 2006, 12:00 am |
| Yorkshire youth get computing thanks to Spoon! |
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| Yorkshire region of Wooden Spoon funded the supply of ITC equipment for the Playing for Success centre at Featherstone Rovers RLFC that was formally opened in January this year. The centre offers the chance for children to attend courses that help to develop core learning skills using the latest computer technology. |
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Featherstone Rovers Learning Centre, is part of a National Department for Education & Skills (DfES) initiative called Playing for Success, which uses sport to motivate young people to become successful learners, establishing out of school hours study support centres within sports’ clubs grounds and venues. The centres use the environment and medium of sports to help motivate pupils identified by their schools as being in need of a boost to help them get back up to speed in literacy, numeracy and communication technology (ICT). Featherstone Rovers Centre was formally opened in January. Actor Mark Charnock, better known as Marlon Dingle in the TV soap, Emmerdale, unveiled the Wooden Spoon plaque to commemorate Spoon’s £25,000 sponsorship of the ICT suite in the purpose built centre at the Post Office Road ground in front of an enthusiastic audience. This is the second opening that Mark has kindly done for Spoon and once again he entertained guests and the children with his wit and charm at the inspirational new facility. The centre offers the chance for 9 to 14 year olds to undertake out-of-hours courses that help to develop core Maths, English and computer skills using the latest computer technology. The children that benefit are all from Featherstone and the surrounding area where social deprivation is a significant problem after the closure of the coal pits and the ensuing high unemployment. The children are selected on the basis of under-achievement in their local schools. Qualified teacher Tina Dransfield, who runs the centre, said: “Pupils come to the centre for a ten week course outside normal school hours. Our job is to help them feel motivated and enthusiastic about learning and to take that back into their classrooms so that they and their teachers can see the results.” Glyn Robinson, Chairman of Featherstone Rovers RLFC said: “Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Football Club is a community club and as such strives to be a positive force for progress in the community, and we believe the tremendously successful work of our Learning Centre, Featherstone Rovers, is a shining example of that.”
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