Local residents and college students will benefit from an investment of £14m in sports developments and facilities as Exeter College announces their progress with a four year sport health and physical activity plan developed with important local partnerships, particularly Devon County Council.

The plans which will prove the Olympic Legacy is alive and well in the city will benefit community groups as well as the growing number of students at the city's college who are choosing sport either as a potential career or want to take part in sports and physical activities as part of the demand for health lifestyles.

Phase one of the college's sports plans has already seen £1m invested into converting an old engineering workshop into a state of the art fitness centre at the college's Queen Street site.

Phase two is also well under way where Exeter College will manage the new £5.6m Outdoor Education Centre at Haven Banks which is being built and paid for by Devon County Council and is the biggest single sum to be allocated from the proceeds of the sale of Exeter Airport. The project is due for completion this summer and will ensure local people of all ages can benefit from the world class facility on Exeter's historic quay as well as contribute to the continued development and regeneration of the Exeter Canal Basin.

The third phase of the plan involves two projects; firstly working in partnership with Exeter City Council and local sports clubs in Exwick to establish a 'Sports Hub'. The plan is to build a new £1.4m sports pavilion at the site of the existing Civil Service Sports Club that will enable local students and sports club users to have access to high quality provision. By taking the premises on a long term lease Exeter College ensure the local sports community can continue to have access to such facilities.

The second part of this final phase will see around £6.5m invested into a state of the art sports hall complex at the Queen Street campus. Exeter College has received a £2.6m grant from the Skills Funding Agency to support the plan to establish a six badminton court sports hall, two classrooms and a sports science and rehabilitation laboratory. The facility will allow sports users access to one of the very best indoor facilities in the region and unlock the need for facilities in growing areas such as Fustal, which is the world's fastest growing indoor sport.

“The latest news about our Sports Hall proposal follows a number of important developments for sports and fitness at Exeter College in the last year and we're delighted that, working so closely with our partners, we're able to celebrate these significant investments. Sport has always been very important to the college with our individual students and teams recording important successes in local, regional and national competitions. These new developments will not only be of benefit to these elite sportsmen and women but, through the work of our partners, benefit the local and regional community. It is a great way to build on the Olympic legacy and how the whole country seemed to be celebrating a summer of sport last year.”

Working in partnership with Sport England, the Association of Colleges and Active Devon, Exeter College has also appointed a College Sports Maker with the remit to increase levels of participation in physical activity across the college as a whole. The post, initially funded by Sport England, will ensure sustainable infrastructures for the next five years.

Richard Atkins Principal of Exeter College said “Active Devon is tremendously excited that Exeter College have secured the necessary funding and commitment to appoint a College Sport Maker, said Matt Evans, Chief Executive, Active Devon. “The drop off in participation in sport has been well documented amongst teenagers and so the opportunity to work with young people in College to help them to get active, keep participating in sport and contribute as volunteers is really important. I am sure that the new post will add a further dimension to Exeter College's already impressive provision for its students.”