Olympic star opens new sports facilities at The Milton Keynes Academy

Milton Keynes Academy recently welcomed former Olympian and World Champion badminton player Gail Emms MBE to their Annual Academy Sports Awards, celebrating sporting success of dozens of its students during a glittering awards ceremony.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Oct 2018, 11:51 BST
Updated 22nd Oct 2018, 12:55 BST
Dr Philip H Smith MBE (Chair of Governors, The Milton Keynes Academy), Gail Emms MBE and Fiona Seddon (principal, The Milton Keynes Academy)at the official openingDr Philip H Smith MBE (Chair of Governors, The Milton Keynes Academy), Gail Emms MBE and Fiona Seddon (principal, The Milton Keynes Academy)at the official opening
Dr Philip H Smith MBE (Chair of Governors, The Milton Keynes Academy), Gail Emms MBE and Fiona Seddon (principal, The Milton Keynes Academy)at the official opening

The evening concluded with the official opening of the Academy’s new £50,000 gym.

The gym features a wide range of modern sporting equipment, including state of the art exercise bikes, weights and changing facilities for use during and outside school hours, ensuring all Academy students can enjoy an array of sporting facilities, helping stars of the future to emerge.

Vanessa Sallai was awarded the prize for special sports recognition, a keen student of Taekwondo, she is currently ranked UK number 1 for her age group and recently represented the UK in the World Championships in Argentina.

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Team of the year was awarded to the Year 10 boy’s football team, following their journey to the Quarter Finals of the national school’s cup, where they narrowly lost to the eventual winners of the competition.

All round sports stars were recognised in the individual awards; Sara Al-Said won the girls’ sports personality of the year for her efforts in netball, rounders and athletics, and Kevin Sude secured the boys award for his determination in basketball, cricket, dodgeball and football.

Fiona Seddon, principal of The Milton Keynes Academy, said: “Congratulations to all of the young people who won prizes and a huge thank you to Gail Emms for joining them as they celebrated their tremendous achievements. The Academy has a strong track record of developing young sporting talent while providing a balanced learning experience, ensuring success in the classroom as well as the sports field.

“The investment in a new gym is the culmination of a major capital investment programme to create a state-of-the-art learning environment for our students, ensuring everyone can unlock their potential, preparing them for life in a fast-changing world. Over £2.5 million has been spent on facilities including science laboratories, a new student restaurant and the new gym.”