St Mary’s School, Cambridge and Homerton College have hosted a turf-cutting ceremony to launch its new Long Road development project.
The development project will provide two new AstroTurf pitches, three netball and tennis courts, athletics track and field facilities, plus a new pavilion with a kitchen and changing rooms.
Alongside new rowing facilities on the River Cam for St Mary’s oarswomen, Long Road will greatly enhance opportunities for students to take part in a wide range of sport.
As well as benefiting St Mary’s girls and students of Homerton College, the new Long Road facilities will also be accessed by members of the wider community, as part of Cambridgeshire County Council’s health and wellbeing strategy.
Long Road will greatly enhance sporting opportunities for St Mary’s girls
Charlotte Avery, head of St Mary’s School, said: “Cutting the turf was a great opportunity to celebrate the culmination of working in partnership with Homerton College to reach this critical point. Long Road will greatly enhance sporting opportunities for St Mary’s girls, and I look forward to returning to the ‘turf’ to see our aspiring sportswomen in action.”
Professor Geoff Ward, principal of Homerton College, University of Cambridge, said: “The student experience at Cambridge includes the opportunity to compete in extra-curricular activity at very high levels, and this has to include sport. Our agreement with St Mary’s over shared sports facilities means that Homerton will soon have the best such facilities in collegiate Cambridge.
“These things are not just for the champions, but for the students unwinding at the weekend who want to kick a ball about or go for a run.”
With work now under way, it is expected that students will be able to enjoy the enhanced facilities from September 2020.
