We are working in partnership with Sport England to deliver What’s Your Game? a project aimed at increasing physical activity through play by helping families identify their own strengths, resources and assets within their own community and have a voice to share their own story about what matters to them and their families.
The programme will work with families to design activities for themselves and their communities. Locally appointed community facilitators will engage with families in Sheffield, Hull, Ely, and Torbay.
Our investment?
We are investing £250k in What’s Your Game? through our Community Investment Fund, which is match funded by Sport England through its Families Fund programme.
Love Sport
What’s Your Game builds on our previous Love Sport programme which was in partnership with Sport England and demonstrated the benefits of delivering sports and activity sessions for residents in communities across the country.
Through the programme, we supported 135 projects, working with 63 local partners. Football sessions, boxing classes, Zumba and badminton were just a few of the activities delivered:
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3,300 people got involved and participated in activity sessions (reaching 800 more than the project target of 2,500).
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Over 30% of people told us they have sustained a sporting habit as a result of taking part in the programme.
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26% of participants said they now feel an increased belonging to their neighbourhood.
Legacy
By working with trusted local partners, we gained a deeper understanding of the obstacles people face when trying to take up a more active lifestyle, how to overcome them and how to maintain an active lifestyle.
Here are some of the projects that changed people’s lives by getting more active:
Alongside our own evaluation, we worked closely with HACT, a research agency for UK housing associations, to analyse the impact of Love Sport and identify best practice in community sport and fitness. The report on these findings can be found on a PDF published on the HACT website.
About Sport England
Sport England are responsible for grassroots sport in England.
Their vision is that everyone in England feels able to take part in sport or activity, regardless of age, background or ability. Their strategy Towards an Active Nation sets out how they will work with national and local partners to ensure everyone in England can benefit from sport and physical activity.
Why tackling inactivity matters
It is known that many of the leading causes of ill health could be prevented if people were to play more sport and increase their overall levels of physical activity
Around one in two women and a third of all men in England are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity. It is an unsustainable situation, and one that is costing an estimated £7.4bn a year. If current trends continue, the burden of health and social care will destabilise public services and take a real toll on quality of life for individuals and communities.
Sport and physical activity has the power to change lives. It can enhance individuals and communities, boost local and wider economies and support a number of other areas, including health, tackling crime and education.
With Towards an Active Nation, Sport England are moving beyond just numbers.
Their future investments will be about more than simply increasing the number of people taking part but looking to invest in projects, programmes and individuals that make sure everybody can experience the many benefits of sport and activity.
Sanctuary is delighted to be continuing to work with Sport England to help to deliver positive outcomes for people and the places in which they live.