Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park: Major child health hub planned

It is hoped the Olympic Legacy Park will house a world-class complex of research and educational facilities

Plans to create a national centre for child health at Sheffield's Olympic Legacy Park have been unveiled.

The National Centre for Child Health Technology is believed to be a world-first, focusing on issues such as child obesity and adolescent mental health.

The park was created as a legacy to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to help improve public health.

A £200m investment is now being proposed to turn the site into a major research and education complex.

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The 35-acre park in Attercliffe is a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council.

Built on the site of the former Don Valley Stadium, it is already home to Sheffield Hallam University's £14m Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), which opened last year.

The centre has announced expansion of its studies into Long Covid and plans for new research into the role of exercise in cancer care.

The Olympic Legacy Park was officially opened in 2017 by former Sports Minister Richard Caborn

The park also already houses the Oasis Academy Don Valley, the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and the FlyDSA Arena.

Plans are now being put forward for a new community stadium, basketball arena and research facilities.

The facilities will include a new diagnostic imaging lab and research centre for Canon Medical Systems Europe, which aims to transform the speed and accuracy of diagnostics for the NHS.

Meanwhile, the planned arena will become the new home of Sheffield Sharks Basketball Team, and the stadium the new home for Sheffield Eagles Rugby League.

It is hoped the investment in the park will bring together expertise from academia, elite sport, the NHS and public and private sector organisations.

Prof Rob Copeland, AWRC director, said: "The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is perhaps the best physical representation of the ideals of a health legacy from the Olympic Games anywhere in the world.

"The park brings together community, physical activity, research, education, sport, technology and innovation to transform health and wellbeing."

Former Sports Minister and Park Lead Richard Caborn added the site was "a catalyst for investment and regeneration".