Weir Archer Academy (WAA) Press Release January 15th, 2020

“Taking the club and facilities to a new level “

Since the WAA was formed in 2013, the club has achieved significant growth and with that challenges with funding, finding more coaches to support more athletes and facilities to train in particular during winter months. In fact, it would be fair to say that WAA really lacked any real indoor training facilities training in a storage room at the athletics track with not enough space for the last three years.

The Weir Archer Academy now have 27 disabled athletes of varying ages and abilities with some of the squad aspiring to Paralympian success.

In 2018 WAA set out a plan to create their own space and facilities and with limited budgets set out a plan and approached Royal Borough of Kingston for planning with a completion date target December 1st, 2019.

The initial key funding of the project was achieved following a successful application with the London Marathon Charitable Trust and following planning approval in August, the key portable cabins were ordered and delivered mid- September to enable further works to be commissioned.

We were fortunate to have incremental monies donated from Abbott World Marathon Majors to recognize David Weir CBE outstanding achievement of over 20 marathons around the world, along with Purley Downs Golf Club, Invictus Active, HSBC and Brian Freeman one of the WAA trustees. All these donations enabled us to work towards the completion of our facility as per budgeted plans.

We did however have some areas that needed extra support and funding and we were delighted to meet with Tarmac to help initially with just an access path for the athletes to get from the car park to the training facility safely. Tarmac as part of their activities supporting local community-based projects help take the facility to another level by assisting with new site fencing, an outdoor social area, shrubs and plants and the provision of funds to assist us with a number of other ideas for example technology to assist the coaches with analysis on athletes on the racing treadmill style rollers. An introduction by Tarmac to Media Print Group led to them providing all the graphics and signage for both internal and external branding.

On the 14th January at the official opening Jenny Archer MBE, David Weir CBE and over 60 people made up of WAA athletes, coaches and supporters plus family and friends attended the opening in the company of ITV news plus Mark Davidson and other photographers.

So, the result is WAA now have not just the winter roller room facility they planned for, but a real club facility they and anyone connected to WAA feel proud to call home. This club facility provides a platform for growth, and as well as providing disabled athletes a superb training facility WAA are hoping to elevate their well-being and community-based projects and ideas with Tarmac support.

David Weir CBE and Jenny Archer MBE have been simply blown away with all the support and work going into making this dream turn into reality and at such a pivotal time for the club with some of athletes trying to make the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics later this year.