PORTMAN Road will be the focus of a conference tomorrow which will highlight the role of sport in the community.Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn will be the principal speaker and he is expected to emphasise the vital role of sport and physical activity as a part of community wellbeing.

PORTMAN Road will be the focus of a conference tomorrow which will highlight the role of sport in the community.

Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn will be the principal speaker and he is expected to emphasise the vital role of sport and physical activity as a part of community wellbeing.

Ipswich Town Chairman, David Sheepshanks will preside, with other top-level speakers, including Dr Howard Williamson of the Youth Justice Board, and Sue Campbell, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust.

The event, at the Portman Road ground of Ipswich FC, is being organised by a regional partnership between Norfolk Sport, Suffolk Sport, East Region Sports Development Association, East Sports Board, Sport England East and the East of England Development Agency.

Some 150 delegates, including leading officers and council members from local authorities throughout East Anglia, will be attending.

The conference will be summarised by David Moffett, Chief Executive of Sport England and aims to bring to the attention of key decision makers the value of sport in addressing the wider social policy agenda.

Former West Ham and England legend Trevor Brooking, Chair of Sport England said: "Many people have seen how sport benefits individuals without realising how it helps society as a whole. Spending on sport has tended to be seen as an avoidable cost, not a necessary investment."