Saturday shopping in Yeovil had a distinctly sporting theme when the free Join In Local Sport event came to the Quedam Shopping Centre on Saturday 27 July.
The event, which was co-ordinated by South Somerset District Council, brought 15 different sports to the shopping centre so that shoppers were able to try out new sports in between shopping. From Hockey to Netball and Volleyball to Tennis – there was something for everyone to try.
Jake Hannis, Senior Sports and Healthy Lifestyles Officer at South Somerset District Council explained the idea of Join In. “Join In is a national campaign that aims to harness the enthusiasm for sport which was ignited by London 2012.
“The event was a celebration of grassroots sports and the supervised, multi-sport taster sessions were family orientated and beginner friendly. It was great to see people finishing their coffee and then coming along with their shopping bags to try a variety of different sports.”
David Mills, Quedam Shopping Centre Manager said, “It was a fantastic event! It was amazing how many sporting options were on offer and lots of shoppers literally did join in on the day. Full marks all round to everyone involved in this project.”
Councillor Sylvia Seal, Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Culture at South Somerset District Council, said, “Being held at the same time as the Anniversary Games helped to capitalise on the wave of enthusiasm for sport that is still sweeping the nation.
“So many people came along on Saturday and I hope that the local sports clubs will see an increased interest in their clubs following Join In.”
Many people took part in hockey at Join In. Barbara Reynolds, Relationship Manager for England Hockey Board, who supported the event said “So many of our sporting heroes started their journey within local sports clubs, and the Join In event was a great opportunity for our local clubs to showcase their work as well as attracting new members and people returning to the sport.”