SPORTS Minister Helen Grant met some of Basingstoke’s sporting stars when she visited some of the area’s top venues yesterday.

Basingstoke MP Maria Miller invited Mrs Grant to have a tour of sports facilities around Basingstoke including Basingstoke Rugby and Hockey clubs, at Down Grange, and the Hampshire FA headquarters in Winklebury Way, on Tuesday.

And Mrs Grant, who was a captain of her school’s tennis and hockey teams and represented Cumbria in hockey, tennis, athletics and cross country, seemed to get into the sporting spirit during the day, getting involved in games of hockey and football.

There has been an increased interest in sport since the Olympics and MPs heard how Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club has raised £50,000 towards a desperately needed stand.

There has also been a 14 per cent increase in membership levels at the Basingstoke Hockey Club during 2013-14, meaning that a new pitch is needed to keep up with the club’s growth.

Mrs Miller told The Gazette: “It is about making sure we have got the right facilities for the future years. We have got successful sporting organisations working in Basingstoke, and we need more capacity.”

Speaking at the Hampshire FA, Mrs Grant said: “I can’t wait to come back again. We were here to look at the fantastic grass roots initiatives happening in the Basingstoke area, so it has been a fantastic day.

“We have been over to play hockey. We also went to the rugby club, and we heard about their wonderful plans and how they are engaging with the local community.”

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