New look multi-sports centre at Priory School to be renamed after Tom Prince

Priory School and Portsmouth City Council have come together to enable the replacement of flooring and lighting across both the sports hall at Priory School and the Priory Tennis Sports Centre which has now been renamed the Tom Prince Sports Centre.

It means the tennis centre has now turned into a true multi-sport space, which can be used by the community outside of school hours, with space for six badminton courts, two netball courts, two tennis courts, and four cricket nets. The sports hall, built in 1983, has also received some much-needed TLC with new lighting and flooring, plus markings for multiple sports, including badminton.

To mark this £250k investment and the change in use, the former tennis centre has been renamed in memory of the former Priory School student, a lively and loving boy who passed away the day before his 16th birthday following a diagnosis of the rare bone cancer, osteosarcoma.

After his death Tom’s family set up the Tom Prince Cancer Trust which raised more than a £1m to go into research of osteosarcoma, the cancer from which the huge Pompey fan died from. Fundraising activities included concerts, walks, bike rides and one of the trust’s biggest events of the year Blue Day - which was supported by The News - where people dressed in blue and held blue-themed activities.

Tom's parents, Adele and Clinton Prince, welcomed the news that Tom’s memory will live on.

They said in a statement: "It's wonderful to see Priory's new sports centre, where a variety of different sports can be accessed, not only for pupils but also for the wider community. So many people will be able to benefit from this facility, which is a big plus for the city.

"Priory has always been entwined with the local community, and the sports centre can only strengthen that partnership. As a family, we are very pleased and honoured that the sports centre is to be named in Tom's memory."

As an inner-city school with no grass space and a 3G pitch as their only outdoor facility, these indoor areas for sport are a crucial teaching space for both the PE department and the whole school. With new flooring and lighting in place, they will be able to enable sports for the school and the community for many years to come.

This is all part of an extensive programme of improvements across Priory School over the past two years, much of which was made possible due to generous support from the Bohunt Education Trust and Portsmouth City Council, alongside the school's own careful financial management.

An open afternoon and naming ceremony for the centre will be held on Saturday, October 26, from 1.30-4pm, with lots of sports and games for the community to try.

Stewart Vaughan, headteacher at Priory School, said: "It is wonderful when you can work in partnership to achieve something that you cannot achieve on your own. We are now able to offer a wonderful sports facility for our children and our local community because of this partnership with Portsmouth City Council.

"We look forward to welcoming the local community to our open event on the afternoon of 26 October and encourage everyone to drop in, view the venue, and find out what sports they can book to take part in."

£50,000 of the investment in the indoor sports facilities came from Portsmouth City Council, who saw the potential of creating a multi-sport indoor space that could be used outside school hours to benefit the wider community.

Cllr Steve Pitt, leader of the council with responsibility for culture, regeneration and economic development at Portsmouth City Council, said: "The health and emotional well-being of residents is of paramount importance to us. This shows our commitment to providing sports and leisure facilities across Portsmouth, which are accessible to all and support a wide range of sporting activities. A partnership approach means we can maximise the benefit from investment made into sports facilities, with students and local residents reaping the rewards.

"This superb space is streets ahead of other provision available nearby, offering space for six badminton courts, two netball courts, two tennis courts, and four cricket nets. This is perfect for local sports clubs looking for space to grow."

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This is just one of many investments into sport across the city by the council, which has totalled £20m so far, with a further £27m to come.

Future investments planned include £20 million towards creating a new hub in Bransbury Park, which will bring sports, swimming, and healthcare together, including a learner pool that can be utilised by many schools nearby. This will be if the scheme gets planning permission, with objectors calling for the money to be spent on Wimbledon Park and Eastney Swimming Pool instead.

A further £6 million will also being spent at the Mountbatten Centre to replace the roof, together with the renewal of major mechanical and engineering plant, to secure the future of the building.