Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, has welcomed money for Havering’s local football clubs as part of a government campaign to get people active.

 Upminster Park Rovers Junior FC and Elite Colts FC are among the 1,100 grassroots sport projects to benefit from £93 million of funding, delivered by Mrs Lopez’s ministry, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 

Both Upminster Park Junior FC and Elite Colts FC, will benefit from new goalposts installed at Upminster Park and Langtons Junior Academy while Hornchurch FC are using the money to upgrade their floodlights. Leaside Colts Youth FC, at nearby Brittons Playing Field, will also be supported with funding for new goalposts. 

This builds on historic investment in grassroots sport. Since May 2023, the Conservative Government has supported sport in Havering with:

• £390,000 to improve tennis courts, including the full refurbishment of the courts in Harold Wood Park.
• £316,809 to support the Central Park in Harold Hill and the Sapphire Leisure Centre in Romford with maintenance and energy costs via the Swimming Pool Fund.
• £20,676 via an earlier round of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Fund, including Harold Hill FC and Tigers Junior FC

Alongside investing in the borough’s sport facilities, DCMS has in recent years given Grade II listing to the Queen’s Theatre and, via the Arts Council, £1.44 million in funding to keep the much-loved theatre’s future secure in Hornchurch. The venue is a cornerstone of the community, sponsoring local artists and theatre groups and providing a venue for community groups. The venue has also hosted a number of Jobs & Apprenticeship Fairs with Mrs Lopez, including a forthcoming Fair on Friday 9 February.

Mrs Lopez and her team are also working to expand the constituency’s woodlands with money from major road investments as they continue their campaign for a green corridor between Thames Chase Community Forest and the new woodland being planted at Hole Farm by the Lower Thames Crossing. 

Commenting, Julia Lopez MP said:

“I want everyone in Hornchurch & Upminster to have access to fantastic grassroots facilities so that they can benefit from the friendships, fitness and life skills that flow from sport. It’s great to build on the cash we got for tennis, swimming and football with this latest investment in lighting and goal posts. 

Plus, with the money we secured for our wonderful Queen’s Theatre and the work we are doing on local woodlands, I hope residents can access a lifestyle that sees culture, creativity, green spaces and sport all on their doorstep’.