This is a new service – your feedback will help us to improve it.
ActiveWestminster Logo
ActiveWestminster Logo

Sport

An Active City for All; our outdoor spaces and places

by

Staying active is vital to everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing. Therefore, in-line with current Government advice, our parks and open spaces will continue to remain open. However, our playgrounds and outdoor gyms/trim trails will remain closed.

Following the Government update (10 May 2020), we have now re-opened our multi-use games areas (MUGA’s), sports courts and pitches, table tennis tables and other communal recreation areas across the City.

Please help us, to help you and others stay active and maintain an Active City for All, while staying well. At all times, you should continue to observe the government’s social distancing advice when you are outside your home, including ensuring you are 2 metres away from anyone outside your household.

If you’re going outside to get or stay active, please:

  • limit your contact with other people
  • keep your distance (stay 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household)
  • travel on foot or by bike
  • do not use public transport
  • do not gather in groups of more than 2 people, excluding members of your household
  • wash your hands for 20 seconds when you get home

See the full list of Government rules. More information is available on the Mayor of London website.​

If you don’t think that’s possible, then there are loads of great ways you can get and stay active at home or out in your garden (if you have one!). There are some great ideas to help everyone stay active on our activity finder, the Sport England website or search #StayInWorkOut on social media.

We will continue to keep this situation under constant review.

You can find information about coronavirus (COVID-19) including what you can do to protect yourself, and the impact of the disease on our services on the main Council website.

#ActiveWestminster

Published 27 March 2020

Last updated 15 May 2020

12 May 2020 Updated in line with latest Govt. guidance.

3 April 2020 Additional guidance on dog walking added.

27 March 2020 First published.

Junior Park Run Update

by

Happy New Year! Unfortunately we have been informed that Junior Park Run will not launch this Sunday. This is mainly due to changes in personnel at Park Run which meant we are unable to hold a pre-launch training event in good time.

We have received all equipment and volunteers are in place. The new launch date for Junior Park Run is Sunday 27th January 2019 at 9am.

Proposal for new outdoor games pitch in Queen’s Park

by

Westminster City Council are considering a planning proposal to add a new community use sports pitch to Wilberforce Primary School.Developing this pitch at Wilberforce Primary School will create a new locals pace for activity, to help tackle the rising levels of obesity and inactivity which we have identified as a concern in this part of Queen’s Park. We expect the pitch to be a place for people of all ages to participate in sport and games. It will increase the number of community facilities available in Queen’s Park, and will also provide more opportunities for our residents and community members to be physically active and social.

The council has developed this proposal in accordance with Sport England’s Design Guidelines, to provide a much-needed outdoor facility for this area. The pitch will be exclusively for the use of Wilberforce pupils and staff during school opening hours, but the proposal recommends that the pitch should be available for local community groups, clubs, and organisations in Queen’s Park to use outside of school hours. Use of the pitch during these hours would be scheduled via an online booking system to avoid disappointment and unscheduled usage on the day, and the proposed timings for community use will be between 5pm-9pm on weekdays, and 10am-6pm at weekends.

The local community will have the opportunity to review and comment on this proposal during the formal planning process, via the council’s planning portal.

Paddington Rec junior parkrun – weekly free 2k timed run for juniors

by

It is only for juniors – if you’re not a junior, how about trying one of the weekly Saturday parkrun events?

What is Paddington Rec junior parkrun?

It is a 2k run for juniors only (4-14 year olds). If you are not a junior please try one of our weekly Saturday parkrun events instead.

When is it?

It is held every Sunday at 9:00am.

Where is it?

The event takes place at Paddington Recreation Ground, Randolph Avenue, London, W9 1PD. See Course page for more details.

What does it cost to join in?

Nothing – it’s free! but please register before your first run. Only ever register with parkrun once. Don’t forget to bring a printed copy of your barcode (request a reminder).

How fast do I have to be?

The aim is to have fun. Please come along and join in whatever your pace!

We’re friendly!

Every week we grab a post parkrun coffee in a local café – please come and join us!

Active Westminster Award winners bowled over at Lord’s

by

People who change lives through dedication and contribution to physical activity, leisure and sport were recognised at the 2018 Active Westminster Awards on Friday (7 December).

Athletics coach Simon Lloyd, who suffered serious injuries in a car crash in 1997, is a volunteer who works with children – some of whom have disabilities – and provides PE sessions in schools. He claimed the Active Volunteer award.

Another to be recognised with an award was Rashmi Becker, who established Step Change Studios – London’s first dedicated inclusive ballroom dance company – which gives opportunities for disabled and non-disabled children and adults to dance, including blind ballroom dance and wheelchair dance. Rashmi won the Active Inclusive Finalists award.

Rashmi said: “I am guardian to my disabled older brother and have seen the positive impact of physical activity on his life, and am passionate about the power of dance to improve lives.

“The response has been fantastic – in just one year, we have supported over 1,000 disabled children and adults to dance.”

Active Westminster’s strategy aims to encourage residents to lead active lives by making use of all the city has to offer.

Westminster City Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Community, said:

“The Active Westminster Awards celebrate the people and organisations whose inspiring work makes a huge difference to our communities as we help residents to maintain healthier lives.

“It is important to recognise their outstanding contribution, as the services they provide and their remarkable dedication has a significant impact on the quality of life of people in our city.”

Some other winners were Mohamed Elnaiem, who has run voluntary organisations throughout the last 25 years in Westminster and took the Outstanding Contribution award, while 12-year-old synchronised swimmer Alexia Drositis was named Champion of the Future.

The event was held at Lord’s Cricket Ground and is now in its ninth year.

Commonwealth Games table tennis silver medallist and England women’s no.1 Tin-Tin Ho, a Westminster resident, was a special guest along with six-time Olympian Tessa Sanderson, who won gold for Great Britain in the javelin in the 1984 Games. Sky Sports’ David Garrido again presented the event.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and also to everyone nominated for the 10 awards given out on the night.

Full list of winners:

Champion of the Future Award Winner: Alexia Drositis. Alexia, aged 12, has been doing synchronized swimming for two-and-a-half years and trains at Seymour club. Alexia has passed all grades for her age group.

Highly Commended:

Lucas Roehrig

Lily Halasi

London Youth Games Award Winner: Lucas Mandilas. Lucas has, in all but one of the seven years of the LYG in which he has competed, won a medal in the canoe-slalom or sprint kayaking at the Paddlesport Regatta.

Highly Commended:

Westminster Boating Base LYG Sailing Squad

London Youth Games 2018 Fencing Team

Active Club Award Winner: Westminster Boating Base. WBB is a children’s charity focused on providing life skills for disadvantaged young people in Westminster through water sports. Providing water and land activities, it is a community facility for all ages and also has an active over-60s club.

Highly Commended:

Central London Lacrosse

Beethoven Centre

Active Coach Award Winner: Julie McNamara. Instructor Julie has taught a wide range of fitness classes from aqua aerobics to group cycling and Pilates for more than 20 years. She has helped people with physical and mental health, even supporting some of them through bereavement and loss, and enabling them to achieve their fitness goals.

Highly Commended:

Leandro Afonso

Neil Lockyer

Tom Hooker

Active Volunteer Award Winner: Simon Lloyd. A children’s athletics coach, Simon works on Everyone Active’s disability programme, as well as teaching PE sessions at schools. After suffering serious injuries in a car crash in 1997, Simon has dedicated his time to helping young autistic athletes and their families, and by visiting prisons and referral units to talk about his experiences.

Highly Commended:

Cyril Asomani

Sofia Marcel Whittles

Outstanding Contribution Award Winner: Mohamed Elnaiem. Mohamed has spent much of the last 25 years doing voluntary work, running several organisations – four in Westminster – to promote health, wellbeing and physical activity among residents.

Highly Commended:

Geoff Biggs

Natalie Bourne-Moses

Health, Wellbeing and Community Project Award Winner: Paddington Development Trust – Mozart Community Project. Mozart community champions work in the community, helping to improve mental health and promote positive lifestyle changes through physical activity and wellbeing sessions.

Highly Commended:

Churchill Gardens & Tachbrook Estate Community Champions Project

GoodGym

Active Inclusive Finalists Award Winner: Rashmi Becker & Step Change Studios. Westminster resident Rashmi is passionate about the benefits of dance to health and wellbeing. She established London’s first dedicated inclusive ballroom dance company in 2017, providing opportunities for disabled and non-disabled children and adults to dance, including blind ballroom dance and wheelchair dance.

Highly Commended:

Safe Haven Basketball Club

Disability Sports Coach & Community Club Westminster

Active Place or Space Award Winner: Sayers Croft Forest School. The school’s Wildlife Garden has been running outdoor learning sessions at Paddington Recreation Ground for five years. These sessions are for local schoolchildren and for other specialist groups. Sessions include tree-climbing and den-building, with more than 5,500 individual sessions last year.

Highly Commended:

Porchester Centre and Hall

Floating Pocket Park

Active Schools Award Winner: St Saviours C of E Primary School. The school offers many activities for children, including horse-riding, hockey, tennis, judo and athletics. It was also a pilot school for the Daily Mile, an initiative encouraging primary schools and nurseries to take children outside running for 15 minutes each day. The school also achieved the School Games Mark Gold award for 2017/18.

Highly Commended:

St Marylebone CE Bridge School

Hallfield Primary School

Get active

Find Activities
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram