Hull MP and John Barnes back sports club campaign

Hull North MP Diana Johnson is backing the 'Subs for Clubs' campaign to support sports clubs in Hull.

England football legend John Barnes joined Diana at a campaign event in Westminster, organised by the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR), which highlighted a campaign to provide more tax relief for sports clubs that offer sporting activities for children.

Diana Johnson MP said: "Sport and recreation clubs are a vital part of our social fabric and have a part to play, along with diet, in combating problems such as childhood obesity.

"There are many clubs in Hull that do a fantastic job providing sports facilities for children. Many of them are run by volunteers who put in a lot of time and effort to give youngsters the chance to take part in sports. They deserve more support.

"Providing tax relief on junior subscriptions is a great way of giving them that. I want the Government to expand the Gift Aid scheme to help children's sports. It could make all the difference in boosting sports participation by children in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games."

CCPR is calling on the Government to enhance the benefits of the Community Amateur Sports Club Scheme, which over 4,450 clubs have already signed up to. Clubs offering activities popular amongst children, such as swimming, gymnastics and netball, have been the slowest to join the scheme which is why CCPR believes the introduction of Gift Aid on junior subscriptions would be of significant benefit to all sports clubs.

John Barnes said: "Sport should always be high up the political agenda. I know from my experience as a player, as a coach and as an ambassador for Access Sport, the power that sport has to unite communities, to build confidence, to teach new skills and to help people get fit and healthy. The support of local MPs is a vital part of that work and this event showed just how strong that support is.

"The CASC scheme is one of the best ways for clubs to save money. I know how important even small amounts of extra cash can be for clubs. The more clubs sign up to the scheme the more money there will be in sport and, hopefully, this event will raise awareness of that.

"This campaign is about getting kids active and healthy and about recognising the amazing work that amateur sports clubs do around the country."

Brigid Simmonds, Chair of CCPR, said: "At CCPR we are working hard to develop sport and recreation across the UK and this was a great occasion to explore with MPs how we could work together to improve sporting opportunities in local communities and clubs. We're delighted that Diana is backing our campaign."