Last updated 14:01, Thursday, 03 April 2008

It’s time to get Whitehaven – and its residents – knocked into shape

FOR the past few weeks I have read a number of articles on the demise of Whitehaven as a town centre.  I agree with the school of thought that Whitehaven needs a big revitalisation in order to prevent this slump. 

Does this come as any huge surprise? Certainly not for me and many of the people who have lived in Whitehaven a lot longer than I have.

We all know that if it wasn’t for Sellafield West Cumbria wouldn’t be the place it is, unfortunately this town doesn’t have the luxury of supporting its population with thriving jobs. The council has tried to breathe new life into the harbourside and its main tourist attractions but with no great luck.

Now I’m by no means an expert in politics, or saving dying towns for that matter, but here’s a thought – and it’s all tied in with the London Olympic games in 2012.

What is West Cumbria or Whitehaven doing about promoting the games? Nothing from what I can see. Yet promoting fitness should be a key issue, especially as obesity is becoming a worldwide fear, and if it isn’t helped or prevented soon then we could have a major problem on our hands.

It’s a sad state when you walk down Whitehaven and see all these derelict buildings from a bygone era: these buildings could be turned into something useful, an enterprise that will make West Cumbria and Whitehaven the heart of fitness in the North West.

It maybe sounds like a dream but why not? How many world-class sports stars have we produced from Whitehaven?

Its simple: we develop young sports stars and Whitehaven starts to be known as an area where money can be pumped in to develop more of the country’s best. The sad fact is nothing is being done about it. I see young lads training in gyms and they are begging for help but the help just isn’t there to educate them and make them better.

I understand it all takes money, and if the funding isn’t there then it becomes difficult. However if you have one young star who just needs that little bit of help then surely that’s what needs to be done.

Natural-born talent doesn’t take money: some individuals simply have it and want to keep learning and getting better.

When I was a kid I remember running for Cleator Moor Athletic club. It was only a small club but it was organised by an individual who had the dedication to make young people better.

Recently I drove past the same place where I used to compete and it’s overgrown with shrubs and grass. Call me emotional but what a waste: a sad state of affairs that beggars belief.

Making a world champion isn’t easy and like I’ve said I’m certainly no expert. Surely, though, we need to promote sport more heavily in schools and make everyone aware about the potential out there.

Introduce new techniques and educate pupils in different ways of training to maximise potential.

Dedicate time to educate them in clean living and proper healthy nutritional needs.

Never segregate the poor pupils from the good pupils – having different levels of potential is a good thing and should be managed in a way where pupils of different ability mix.

I have thought for a while that Whitehaven needs a number of fitness excellence centres. I don’t mean sports centres; I mean places where people who are serious about training and want to learn new techniques can go and train.

I have mentioned this before in my other articles but across America (and now the UK) they have dedicated training concepts that are becoming really popular. One is called Crossfit and another is underground training. They are there to teach people new ways of training and generally most of the concepts differ from the ones you might know.

Sorry, no weights machines here, but instead equipment that will test every part of your body.

I believe people in West Cumbria want something different: 20 minutes on the treadmill is becoming boring so why not have a place in Whitehaven that dedicates a different level of fitness?

Imagine the response to that not just in West Cumbria but over the country.

Why has Whitehaven never held a major competition? This might sound daft, but have a strongman competition here.

What about a triathlon? They have one in Cockermouth which is very popular.

You could have a list of fitness type events which will promote Whitehaven in a different light. Let’s move away from the mining town it once was and let’s update its image to fitness excellence.