Boris Johnson's latest initiative to improve the lives of Londoners aims to boost the number of volunteers in the capital. Johnson said: "Volunteering is good for individuals and great for London in tough economic times. By giving your time, whether a one-off few hours or a regular commitment, we can both help to make the capital a more civilised, pleasant place and reap the rewards of putting something back into

Ribble Valley Council has approved proposals to improve Roefield Leisure Centre in Clitheroe. A £1.1m investment will provide a new fitness suite equipped with 46 stations of Life Fitness cardiovascular and resistance equipment with fully integrated screens and a VIVO connectivity system, dedicated to young people and the over-50s. It will also offer daily access to activities such as the Time Out Youth Activity Centre and the GP Exercise on

A new 11.2m euro (£9.7m) stadium in Dublin, which is home to Shamrock Rovers Football Club (SRFC), has been officially opened by the Irish minister for arts, sport and tourism, Martin Cullen. The purpose-built Tallaght Stadium currently boasts of a capacity of 3,300 spectators, but that is set to increase to nearly 7,000 when construction of the venue's East Stand is completed later this summer. Future development of the stadium,

The new £15m Middleton Arena in Rochdale, which was officially opened by Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave last month, has won the Places for People award at the recent Regional Northwest Construction Awards. One of 15 awards made, the Places for People category targets projects that 'tackle issues such as crime, health, sport or education, it also recognises the contribution to physical and/or social regeneration and the re-use of existing land'.

A new supermarket development on the site of the Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol could help to fund Bristol City Football Club's (BCFC) new 30,000-seat venue planned for the outskirts of the city. The club has confirmed that it is in talks with supermarket giant Tesco over the proposals, which are meant to ensure the Football League Championship outfit receives the maximum value for the site in order to finance

Ewhurst Recreation Ground in Surrey is to benefit from improved community sports facilities, thanks to a £315,880 grant from the Football Foundation. A two-storey changing pavilion will replace the existing wooden pavilion and the grass pitches will be upgraded to include a full size grass football pitch, a junior size grass football pitch and a mini-soccer pitch. Work commenced on 28 March and completion is expected by the start of

Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) has unveiled designs for a proposed £1.3m dual-use sports complex, which is to be established on the site of St Davids Swimming Pool in west Wales. The pool is to close on 7 June in order to make way for the new complex, which will include a four-court sports hall, a health and fitness suite with changing facilities and two further changing rooms for external use.

Southend United Football Club (SUFC) has announced that it is planning to include a casino as part of a new 22,000-seat stadium development at Fossetts Farm in Essex. The £46m scheme, which was given the go-ahead by the government last September after being called in for a public inquiry, has now been altered to incorporate the proposed casino, as well as a new football academy and a retail development. According

Local residents in Lowestoft, Suffolk, are being invited to put forward their views on plans to redevelop Waterlane Leisure Centre. A survey being carried out by Waveney District Council from 21 May to 30 June aims to determine what facilities and activities should be included in the two-storey extension to best meet the demands and needs of the local community. Council representatives will also attend community forum events in Lowestoft

Local school children in Lincoln have selected their preferred designs for the refurbishment of two of the city's play areas as part of the government's Playbuilder Programme. The majority of the funding for the £140,000 scheme, which incorporates the revamp of the Nene Road and Newark Road sites, has been provided through a government grant and will be carried out in partnership between the City of Lincoln Council (CLC) and

A new community stadium, which will be home to Aberdeen Football Club (AFC), is to be situated at Loirston Loch after the local authority backed the site as its preferred location for the venue. Plans are now set to be developed for the new facility, following Aberdeen City Council's (ACC) decision to approve the findings of a feasibility study that identified Loirston Loch as the most deliverable option for the

The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium is due to open in Arlington, Texas, on 6 June. The 3 million sq ft (278,700sq m) stadium, which is estimated to have cost around US$1.3bn (£819m, 931.5m euro), will become the largest NFL stadium in the US, stretching a quarter-mile in length. Designed by HKS Sport, the 80,000-capacity (which can be expanded to 100,000) stadium boasts the largest retractable roof in the world at

Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club (BHAFC) has announced that it has secured full funding for a new £93m stadium project at Falmer, East Sussex, after Tony Bloom took over as club chair. Bloom will fund the majority of the £93m development after replacing previous chair Dick Knight, who has stepped down after 12 years in the position to become the club's new life president. The scheme includes a 22,500-seat

A £2.8m development dubbed Rhondda Life will provide Ferndale in Wales with a new sports and leisure complex centered on the country's national sport. The four-year phased project will replace Ferndale Rugby Club with a new two-storey Rugby Club complete with an events pavilion and a fitness centre, complemented by a 20-bedroom, three-star hotel, bars, a restaurant featuring the history of Welsh rugby, a café and heritage suite and community

Metrix Consortium's proposals for a £12bn defence technical college at the former RAF airbase in St Athan, South Wales, incorporate a new community leisure centre. Plans submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan Council on 12 May outline a sports centre comprising 12 sports courts plus two squash courts; an eight-lane, floodlit athletics track; 12 outdoor sports for rugby, hockey, football and cricket; and a fitness suite with cardiovascular equipment and

A £16m sports centre will be built at The University of Central Lancashire (UCL) in Preston to provide new sporting facilities to its students and to local children during the school holidays. The new complex will feature a sprung timber sports hall with more than 300 retractable bleacher seats and a viewing gallery, able to accommodate regional and national sporting events, conventions, exhibitions and academic examinations. Activity studios, squash courts,

Plans for the construction of a £2.9m dry ski slope and clubhouse at Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, have been submitted to East Ayrshire Council. The proposals, which have been drawn up by architects Lawrence McPherson Associates, include a new 115m (377ft) adult ski slope and a 30m (98ft) nursery ski slope in addition to the new clubhouse facility, which will feature a café-bar, function rooms and

Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton, Staffordshire, is set to undergo a major transformation. East Staffordshire Borough Council has revealed its initial plans and artists' impressions, produced by Maber Architects, of how the revamped leisure facility will look when it reopens in summer 2010. The £5m scheme includes a refurbishment of the gym with upgraded equipment and studio facilities, improvements to toilets and changing rooms and the introduction of a new

Scott Hall Leisure Centre in Leeds is to undergo a £0.41m redevelopment, thanks to a grant from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The grant, sourced from the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme award, will fund the conversion of the centre's existing squash courts into an extended Bodyline Gym area to accommodate a further 17 pieces of equipment. The move is expected to boost net income by around

Detailed plans for the £30m redevelopment of Edgbaston cricket ground, home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC), have been given the go-ahead by Birmingham City Council (BCC). MCD Developments has already been appointed to deliver the scheme, which includes a new hotel, a housing development, offices, and a new stand and pavilion designed to increase the venue's capacity to more than 25,000. The new stand has been designed to provide

Plans for the £48m development of a new leisure complex on the site of the Tropicana centre in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, have been put on hold until early 2010 due to the recession. The Lifestation@Tropicana project, which was approved by North Somerset Council's (NSC) West Area planning committee in October, had been set to get underway later this year as part of a wider scheme to revamp the town's seafront. However,

UEFA president Michel Platini has told the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) that Kiev could lose the right to host the Euro 2012 final if infrastructure issues are not addressed by 30 November. Ukraine is due to co-host the tournament with Poland, and the warning follows an announcement by European football's governing body that the Polish cities of Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw, have all been confirmed as host cities.

A new £4.3m multi-purpose leisure complex in Paddington, London, which will be the only facility in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), is to open this summer. Westminster City Council hopes that the 1,800sq m (19,375sq ft) Little Venice Sports Centre will help to tackle the borough’s health inequalities by making its facilities fully accessible to customers with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, as well

A council committee has narrowly voted in favour of proposals put forward by Poole Town Football Club (PTFC) for the construction of new facilities at Branksome Recreation Ground. The plans, which will see the football club relocate from its current Tatnam Park home, will now be considered by the the Borough of Poole Council's (BPC) cabinet on 2 June following council's environment overview and scrutiny committee's decision. Branksome Recreation Ground's

Plans to create a multi-million pound indoor winter sports resort on the site of a former quarry at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, Suffolk, could be delayed by another two years due to a planning technicality. Developer Onslow Suffolk was finally given the green light for the new £350m SnOasis complex by communities secretary Hazel Blears in November last year, nearly three years after predecessor Ruth Kelly called in the scheme.

Construction work on a new eco-friendly multi-use pavilion at the City of Wakefield Golf Course in Lupset has begun. The pavilion, designed by NPS North East on behalf of the City of Wakefield Council, will be used as a base for the city's golf club, Azaad Cricket Club, Old Thornesians AFC and St Ignatius AFC. Part of the pavilion will look on to the golf course and include a tearoom,

A 330-hectare Renewable Energy Village at Eastgate in Weardale may become a reality if Durham County Council approves the revised planning application recently submitted by Weardale Task Force. The ecologically sustainable site to be built on a former cement works located in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will feature Britain's second public geothermally heated spa and a hotel, as well as homes, office space and workshop accommodation.