By Isle of Wight Observer
Island Olympians, Carl Prean (1988, 1992 & 1996) and Richard Jefferies (2012) helped launch the ‘Play in the Bay’ sports project, funded by a £10,000 Past Futures Grant as part of the Bay Place Plan. They were joined by Cllr Paul Brading, Sandown Bay head teacher, Emma Bowden, Vectis Radio’s Ian Mac, and Bay Place Plan lead, Laura Cansdale.
Cllr Brading said: “This project will capture the memories of sports personalities in the Bay, as well as highlight the wealth of sporting provision and the history of around twenty different sports.
“This is a real partnership project, involving a local school, sports groups, and local media. Hopefully it will inspire greater participation and help future-proof local sports and their facilities.”
In addition to Olympians, the Bay has produced an FA Cup Final referee (Lee Probert), the first winner of the US Open Golf Championship (Horace Rawlins), ITV World of Sport presenter (Dickie Davies), and numerous other national and international sporting success stories.
