November 25, 2019
Cardiff Met Says #ThanksToYou with National Lottery
Cardiff Metropolitan University said a big #ThanksToYou to National Lottery Good Causes with a special event at its National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC.), which has served as a springboard for many Olympians, Paralympians and national sports stars.
NIAC, which was part funded by Lottery Good causes and is located at Cardiff Met's Cyncoed campus, was the first purpose built indoor athletics track in the UK. With The National Lottery celebrating 25 years since it first launched, the University chose to mark the landmark with a showcase of its facilities, which are fully equipped to international standards and can also accommodate other sports including netball, basketball and volleyball.
NIAC was opened in January 2000 by 1964 Olympic champion, Lynn Davies CBE, former Welsh sprint and hurdling athlete, Colin Jackson CBE, and British sprint athlete and television presenter, Jamie Baulch. The facility cost £7.1million to build, £5.6million of which was funded by the National Lottery Good Causes fund.
Owen Rodgers, Deputy Director of Sport at Cardiff Met, said: "Hosting this event was a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to The National Lottery and the Good Causes fund for their considerable investment. The amount of people that have benefited from this facility over the last 20 years is significant."
Since its establishment, many notable athletes have trained at the centre, including Welsh middle-distance runner, James Thie and Welsh Paralympian athlete, Aled Sion Davies MBE. The centre was also used as training ground for 2012 Paralympics. Athletes from Fiji, Samoa, India and Australia took advantage of the facilities in the week leading up to the Paralympic games.
The National Lottery's #ThanksToYou project is a campaign for National Lottery funded projects to say thank you to the individuals who have helped raised more than £40billion over the past 25 years.
Jonathan Tuchner, Director of National Lottery Promotions Unit, said: "We are thrilled that Cardiff Met has helped mark The National Lottery's 25th anniversary with the event at NIAC, whose incredible facilities have been the training ground for many notable athletes.
"The National Lottery has been making amazing things happen for 25 years and it's not just the lives of lucky winners that are transformed through the purchase of a ticket. A massive £40billion has been raised over the last 25 years, helping support thousands of projects and charities, transforming communities across the UK, and NIAC is a fantastic example of this and of how entire communities, budding young athletes and sports team can benefit as well as elite athletes."
