Rustington firm’s role to aid quake recovery

L&R International, which is based in Cove Road, will begin preliminary consultancy work, helping to identify ideal places to reconstruct much-needed sports facilities after many in the Christchurch area were levelled as a result of the disaster.

The 6.3 magnitude quake, which struck in the afternoon of February 22, 2011, caused more than £1billion worth of damage and left 185 people dead and thousands injured.

One of the UK’s leading sports and leisure consultants Gerry Carver, founder of the company – who also played a part in redesigning the exhibition at Littlehampton’s Look & Sea Centre – will be advising Jackie Fanning, principle of L&R’s New Zealand branch.

Jackie, who used to work with the Rustington wing of the company before emigrating to New Zealand, has taken responsibility for the project after she was approached by Sport Canterbury.

She will play a key role in identifying future sites for possible sporting facilities in Christchurch’s Avon River Corridor.

Geoff Barry, the chief executive of Sport Canterbury, said: “This is one of our flagship projects around earthquake recovery.

“The Avon Corridor presents an environmental advantage that can be leveraged for the benefit of the wider community, including sport and recreation, the local economy and education, and in the interests of ecology and events.”