Sport England has
identified 12 places it will work with on a bold new approach to build
healthier, more active communities across England.
Around £100 million
of National Lottery funding will be invested in the pilot scheme over four
years, to create innovative partnerships that make it easier for people in
these communities to access sport and physical activity.
By focusing
intensely in 12 areas, Sport England wants to identify better ways to address
these stubborn inequalities and break down the barriers that stop people
getting active, such as poor transport, safety, cost and confidence. And it
wants to encourage wider, collaborative partnerships which look at how all
parts of a community can better work together to help the most inactive.
From the transport
links and street lighting to the quality of parks and open spaces, to how sport
and activity is promoted by GPs. Partnerships will encompass organisations
beyond the sport sector such as voluntary groups, social enterprises, faith
organisations and parenting groups.
Jennie Price, Sport
England Chief Executive, said: “On our assessment visits to choose the pilot
places I was vividly reminded that the barriers to getting active might have
little to do with the activity itself, yet this is where we often start.
“I talked to one
older lady who was very keen to start swimming again, but to do so she needed
someone to sit with her husband who had dementia, a bus that stopped on the
right side of a busy junction for the leisure centre, and a session with people
like her in the pool rather than lots of children for example.
“Working with
all of the partners in a local area means for the first time we can think about
that broader range of issues and work right across the local system to address
them.”
The 12 pilot areas
are Birmingham and Solihull, Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Essex, Great
Exeter, Greater Manchester, Hackney, Pennine Lancashire, Redcar & Cleveland
and Middlesbrough, Southall, and Withernsea.
Cllr Gerald
Vernon-Jackson, Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said:
“Councils are helping people get out and about and become more physically
active on a daily basis, but we need support to look at what works best and has
the biggest impact. These pilots offer a fresh approach to how Sport England
can work with local authorities and their partners on the ground to reach out
to the quarter of the population who struggle to be active.
“There is huge
ambition within local government to break down the barriers for those in their
communities who cannot take part in sport or physical exercise. Sport England’s
extension of these pilots from 10 to 12 will bring these benefits to more
people and a greater chance to find out what really does and doesn’t work.
Sport England’s strategy pledged to spend £130 million on these pilots so we
will be seeking assurances that the £30 million not announced today will also
be allocated to local areas as originally set out.
“Previous approaches
to investment in sports participation has not produced the results hoped for
and this new funding for 12 pilot areas is an opportunity to fundamentally
rethink how we engage people in getting active, with potential to expand this
to all council areas. If successful, this will provide a major long-term cost
saving for the country, preventing the need for treatment further down the line
which places significant extra pressure on the NHS and social care.”
