Community organisations affected by the recent impact of Storms Bert and Conall can apply to Sport England’s Movement Fund to recover quickly.
Supporting emergency relief and helping with costs during a crisis, like flood damage from extreme weather, is catered for by the Movement Fund – with its goal being to get more people active in England.
Chief executive, Tim Hollingsworth, said he is aware of the impact severe weather can have on sport and physical activity providers, and the communities they serve.
“Storms and major weather events don’t just damage our facilities and pitches; they damage our opportunities for good health, community connection, fun and friendship too,” he said.
“That’s why the Movement fund is available to organisations that are struggling in the aftermath of Storm Bert, to restore opportunities to play sport and get active in the worst-hit areas.”
Funding will be prioritised to support sports and activities that need to recover quickly, with spring and summer sports, or where activity is not scheduled to take place for several weeks, being a lower priority.
The Movement Fund eligibility criteria will apply to organisations seeking emergency relief funding.
Organisations applying will need to confirm they have any relevant permissions required to carry out the work. Applications should submit evidence of damage which is directly attributable to the recent extreme weather. This should be in the form of photographs or reports of the damage that has occurred.
As part of Sport England’s commitment towards collective net zero ambitions, applicants should explain how, as an organisation, they’re attempting to reduce energy usage, promote responsible travel, reduce waste and set out how they’ll restore their facilities in a way that builds resilience to future storm damage.
Sport England can fund emergency costs to help restore sports facilities and activity venues.
Examples include:
- skip hire to remove sediment and rubbish
- minor electrical works to restore power
- decontamination works or clearing of blocked drains
- cleaning work to get showers and changing rooms back up and running
- securing buildings.
The funding is only designed to help with the initial clear-up to enable activity to resume.
It won’t fund the following costs:
- Loss of stock
- Loss of income
- Goods or services valued in-kind (you'll be required to provide evidence of expenditure)
- Any routine maintenance or repairs resulting from everyday wear and tear. This includes work to grass playing pitches that would usually be part of annual maintenance plans
- Football facilities where they are predominantly used for affiliated/competitive league football – any funding request for projects that include football will need to clearly show they are a multi-activity facility
- Any repairs to items or buildings that could be claimed through insurance policies.
