A CHARITY that supports schools to open facilities for communities has secured £1m investment for educational institutions including two Basingstoke schools.

Energise Me, which supports schools to open sports facilities to help communities be more active, has secured the funding for schools including Coppice Spring School and Cranbourne School in Basingstoke.

The funding that has been awarded until March 2025 is part of a £57m national investment from the Department for Education.

It will enable schools to open their sporting facilities for local community and school users outside of the normal school day.

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Energise Me said the funding would enable at least 32 Hampshire and Isle of Wight schools to open their facilities and widen access to opportunities to be physically active.

Activities could be before school, after school, during weekends, evenings, and during school holidays.

The charity has been working with local stakeholders to identify communities that would most benefit from increased access to sports facilities.

Energise Me’s head of children and young people, Sharon Robertson said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to support schools in our priority areas to provide a more varied, targeted, and extensive extra-curricular offer. It will help address inequalities and provide positive early experiences for pupils who don’t currently take part.”

Schools can use this funding to purchase equipment to deliver new or additional clubs, help employees gain qualifications to deliver new activities, or pay for activity deliverers to run clubs.

They can also use the funding to open their school swimming pools for pupils to provide valuable swimming and water safety lessons during and outside of the school day.