THE role sport plays in our society cannot be understated.

As a nation we are obsessed with our sporting heroes and many of our children grow up hoping to emulate their successes.

But sport is so much more than hero worship. It plays a vital role in our communities, bringing people together and affording them opportunities they would otherwise not enjoy.

School sports can be the first link in a lifelong chain. If children enjoy sport at school, they will go on to enjoy it in adult life. It can boost self-confidence, encourage teamwork, reward effort - and keep young bodies fit and healthy.

But schools need the right facilities to offer children these opportunities. We were disheartened, then, to learn of Sport England's objections to plans for Pershore High School's new sports facilities.

The school has been awarded Lottery funding, but needed the go-ahead from the Government body to start work.

It's objections appear to include the fact that the proposed facilities include an all-weather pitch instead of the existing grass one - which is one of the reasons the school applied for funding in the first place.

The existing grass pitch becomes so waterlogged that it is virtually unusable during the winter months.

Of course, we understand that Sport England's decision to object to the proposals is governed by its own protocols and the school could yet win approval for its plans.

But those plans now face lengthy delays and it is the children - and the local community - that will suffer.