A £12.3 million investment in sporting facilities at Catterick Garrison has been announced, the British Army stated.
The funding was unveiled during celebrations in York marking Queen Camilla’s birthday, where a 21-gun salute was fired. It will establish a new rugby hub alongside an indoor sports centre, intended to benefit serving personnel, veterans, their families and the wider community.
According to the Army, the announcement brought together figures from Army Sport, Headquarters North, the Rugby Football League, Army Rugby League, the Army Central Fund and the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown. The programme forms part of a wider effort to strengthen participation in sport and supports the Army’s partnership with the Rugby Football League through its Join Well, Serve Well, Leave Well initiatives.
Major General Darrell Amison, Chief Executive of Army Sport, was quoted in the press release as saying: “Developing Sport in the North is an ambitious, once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the sporting facilities for our soldiers and their families in Catterick Garrison and the North, and by direct association, make a significant contribution to our Army’s fighting power.”
He added: “In recognition of this, Trustees of the Army Sport Charitable Fund have agreed to support the project via a £2 million grant. This sits alongside support from Headquarters Regional Command and significant pledges of charitable support from the Army Central Fund and the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown, for which Army Sport is extremely grateful.”
The Army Central Fund has committed £4.5 million towards the development. Major General Jo Chestnutt, Chair of the Army Central Fund, was quoted in the press release as saying: “Sport plays a vital role in Army life. It builds resilience, strengthens teamwork, and provides opportunities for soldiers and families to connect, particularly in large garrison communities such as Catterick.”
She added: “This significant investment is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about creating places that encourage participation, improve wellbeing, and contribute to a positive experience of Army life for serving personnel and their families. We hope these facilities will benefit generations of soldiers and families in the North, helping to strengthen both the Army community and the sense of belonging that is so important to retention and operational effectiveness.”
The Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown has committed £1.76 million over the next four years. A spokesperson for the Trust was quoted in the press release as saying: “The Chairman and Trustees of the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown are delighted to have committed funding totalling £1.76 million to Developing Sport in the North over the next four years. Supporting initiatives that improve the welfare, wellbeing and quality of life of serving men and women is central to our purpose, and this project reflects the lasting impact that targeted investment can have.”
Ah, fond memories off Catterick! Although the snow and freezing mornings were something else…
£12m
We don’t question that figure involving millions anymore, but, maybe we should.
Rugby pitch, doesn’t have to be flat, 6 pieces pf wood, painted white.
Sports facility.
What on earth is £12m being spent on?
Armed Forces are spaffing money hand over fist, but where is the value?
It’s a massive indoor sports centre that’s not only supporting one of the largest Garrisons in the UK but also the wider community, not sure why you are surprised it’s costing 12m? It’s cheap compared to some comparable civilian projects (Cranleigh Leisure Centre a quick google suggests is going to cost about 30m£)
Dern
Thank you for replying.
My concern was not the cost but what the money was being spent on and the value for money for UK Defence; I hope you can understsnd.
You don’t think physical fitness and family amenities (increasing retention) have value for Defence?
You are conflating.
I just asked for a better explanation of cost.
“and the value for money for UK Defence;”
I’m not conflating, I’m directly answering your comments.
Dimwit,
It’s too late to walk it back, the only “spaffing” is your jerk off comment … made without any thought or consideration to the details within the article.
Catterick is the British Army’s is the largest British Army garrison in the world by land area and population and is projected to expand significantly, growing from roughly 8,500 personnel to around 11,500 by 2030. Existing infrastructure is aging and unable to keep up with this influx of personnel. Approved to house an incoming third military unit, the 21 Engineer Regiment relocating from Ripon, this project includes building brand new Single Living Accommodation [SLAM blocks], heavy vehicle workshops, a dedicated gym, and sports pitches for over 160 newly arrived troops and their units. Military leadership stresses that physical fitness, mental resilience, and teamwork forged on the sports field directly translate to fighting power and as such, sport is viewed as a vital tool for combat stress relief, team cohesion, and overall operational effectiveness.
Catterick is getting a £21 million town centre revamp; including a new civic square. backed by government levelling up funding and local council partnerships.
Catterick is also getting – and it’s here that I suggest you take a seat, I don’t wish to be responsible for you falling over due to shock and apoplectic anger – a £55 million Catterick Integrated Care Campus … CICC, a joint venture between the NHS and the MoD.
… The silence of the study shattered with a wet, explosive cough, half-choke, half-roar, that violently wracked his chest. The smartphone trembled in his grip, the screen of provocation that seemed to instantly ignite ‘Dimwit’ from the inside out.
A deep, violent crimson surged upward from the collar of his shirt, flooding his neck before blooming furiously across his cheeks and temples until his skin took on the angry, bruised hue of a winter plum. His features collapsed inward, skin bunching and tightening into a jagged web of wrinkles as his face scrunched into a mask of pure, apoplectic fury. Veins at his temples swelled and throbbed like trapped, frantic cords against his thin skin.
With a low, rattling wheeze, his mouth twisted into a snarl, spraying a fine mist of enraged spittle across the desk as a fresh, incoherent curse tore past his blackened teeth. The blood pressure singing in his ears drowned out the world, leaving him standing there … shaking, weeping with sheer heat, and clutching the offending phone as if he could strangle it with his bare hands. “…£55 MILLION FOR A HEALTH CENTRE!!!!”
[normal service resumes]
Life in the military places heavy strains on families, so, providing high quality community infrastructure helps improve the general quality of life, making service life more attractive and encouraging soldiers to stay in the Army as the UKDJ rightly points out.
The facilities are designed to be shared by serving personnel, veterans, military families, and the ‘wider civilian community in North Yorkshire’, bridging the gap between the base and the public.
The capital is being provided almost entirely by …
> Specialised military charities and trusts, such as the Army Central Fund, the Army Sport Charitable Fund, and the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown.
> The £12.3 million does not come from the core MOD equipment budget used to buy weapons, ammunition or vehicles.
> These organisations have specific legal mandates and endowments dedicated strictly to the welfare, wellbeing, morale, and quality of life of serving personnel and veterans.
> They cannot legally redirect these specific charitable endowments to buy tactical hardware or munitions.
> Frontline defence procurement are funded through taxpayer-backed government defence budgets.
> Military welfare projects rely on ring fenced charitable trusts designed to look after the people behind the weapons.
Love it. Thank you!
You should monetise that non-fiction portrayal of Dimwit…
“Catterick is also getting – and it’s here that I suggest you take a seat, I don’t wish to be responsible for you falling over due to shock and apoplectic anger – a £55 million Catterick Integrated Care Campus … CICC, a joint venture between the NHS and the MoD.”
Bulford Garrison also had one of these new big integrated NHS/Defence Medical Command Centres open a few years ago. Both locations have co located DPHC RRU’s, MCs and DCs.
DPHC Defence Primary Healthcare.
RRU. Regional Rehabilitation Unit.
MC. Medical Centre.
DC. Dental Centre.
Bulford also has a DCMH Centre as well – Department of Community Mental Health – another aspect of DPHC.
It’s comforting to see such comments are allowed still….
I must remember to not try to add a lighter, humour type of comment….
If ever allowed to comment again….
Anyway, nice healthy debate going on here. Great work as always.
lol. And the people in the photo are doing “sports”. 😂
The people in the article are doing what’s described in the article.
Why would they be doing sports if the facility isn’t built yet?
They are doing it outside precisely because the facility isn’t built yet. 😉
It’s ok for Dimwit to question… we live in a democracy. I have no idea how much buildings cost to put up. Fitting out will cost a lot… we live in the Uk where everything is expensive. Again I know not, but I am assuming the land on which this will sit already belongs to the MOD? New pitches for sports are not cheap, especially if someone decides to go for a 4G pitch, for multi sport use. One of those full size is going to cost the thick end of £750,000
Oh and there’s also IGCQWYL. Its a Government Contract Quote What You Like.
I remember many years ago that when a service family did a move, we had to get three quotes from different removals contractors, and of course the Service paid for the lowest one quoted.
I hope someone in charge got three different quotes for this job!
Clearly I am not complaining. Catterick Garrison (I served there in 1985-86) is huge and the many thousand personnel there needs top-notch sports facilities. I hope the local community paid somethng towards it as local civvies will use it too – sometimes that doesn’t happen.