Back in the 1980s Jim Lynch worked for Gillingham Council and lived in Rochester. Both have now been absorbed into the north Kent unitary authority of Medway Council. So it was good for Jim to go back to see some of his old haunts when we were appointed to conduct an outdoor sports study for Medway.
Back then, the Medway towns were suffering a severe economic downturn following the closure of Chatham dockyard. Now the area is thriving with an influx of universities and colleges, new industry and the development of the dockyard as a tourist and leisure destination. The Medway Park Sports Centre boasts one of the best new athletics tracks in the country. It was the venue The Modern Pentathlon World Cup in April 2010 – the first global sporting event to ever be hosted in Medway.
The featured photo shows the attractive Luton Recreation Ground. At the time of writing we have submitted our draft report to the council and are looking to finalise the strategy in September 2012.