FARNHAM Sports Council has come up with an innovative and pioneering way to promote sport in the community and raise the profile of the community sports clubs in the town.

The Mayor of Farnham, Pat Frost, was on hand to present new ‘Team Farnham’ banners to some 15 local sports clubs who are already closely involved with the sports council and have participated in the first tranche of the project. She congratulated all those involved.

David Gill, chairman of Farnham Sports Council said: “We’ve devised the Team Farnham scheme to give a boost to sport in the town. It’s a fast changing world and the more people who take part in sporting and active lifestyles, the richer the quality of life will be for the whole community.

“It’s a partnership scheme with any of the community sport clubs in the town who’d like to participate, they’re all welcome. We’re fortunate, we’ve got loads of superb sports clubs in Farnham and we want to visibly support them all.”

The essence of the scheme is that local sports clubs join the Farnham Sports Council and help to promote the ethos of sport for everyone.

In return, the clubs gain the benefits of being part of their local sports council and consequently their links to key public and sporting agencies which support the work of the Farnham Sports Council, including the local authorities, the county sports partnership body, Active Surrey and the Surrey Playing Fields association.

They also receive a free, personalised club promotional banner accompanied by the message that their sports club is a club for everyone to join and be able to enjoy their particular sport - the same message that other sports clubs will be promoting. 

Chris Lee, chairman of Farnham Swimming Club added: “The swimming club try to encourage all ages and abilities to enjoy swimming and the idea of Team Farnham is that we want to spread the message that sport in the town is and should be inclusive and open to all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

“Some people have the confidence to walk into a new club but, for many, they need to be made aware of their local clubs and offered an inviting message.”

The sports council in Farnham recognises that, although some sports clubs are sophisticated in their own right, many sports clubs would benefit from a higher profile in an environment where many more lifestyle and leisure-time choices exist. 

David Gill continued: “Team Farnham is possibly a unique project in the whole country. With the help of our excellent sports clubs in Farnham I hope we can make a difference.

“We’re very grateful to Farnham Town Council, Waverley Borough Council, The Farnham Institute and the Surrey Playing Fields for financially and actively supporting this scheme.”