Helping you to a better life
Council’s sport and fitness vision
Couch potatoes and sporting elite alike are being encouraged to see Stirling as an area geared up to support them to be as active and healthy as they can be.
A new strategy for the area aims to promote healthy living through sport and physical activity in a bid to tackle inequalities and change lives.
At a meeting of Stirling Council’s community planning and regeneration committee, councillors agreed the revised programme and noted the first draft of its updated delivery plan.
According to the council, research shows improvements in learning, employability, crime reduction, mental health and isolation can all be delivered using sport and physical activity.
The long-term initiative also outlines the economic impact of performance sport and sporting events and the council’s aspiration to provide more facilities.
The strategy’s four key priorities include:
•Ensuring physical education, activity and sport are embedded within all educational establishments and communities.
•Partnering clubs and communities to ensure high quality, inclusive and sustainable sport and physical activity are available for all.
• Creating healthy living opportunities for all Stirling’s citizens, regardless of age, race, gender, sexuality, circumstance or ability.
•Maximising use of indoor and outdoor spaces for all, including visitors and elite athletes.
Officers have now been told to come back in 12 months’ time with a food and nutrition report which is to be added to the new strategy.
Committee convener Chris Kane said: “This refreshed strategy has been produced by an encouraging range of partners, who have worked over a number of months to refresh and agree a list of high-level ambitions and strategic priorities.
“These will change lives by encouraging people to be more active, engage with sport and physical activity across the Stirling Council area and help them make healthier, more informed choices regards food consumption.
“I am confident that the partners committed to this strategy will succeed in delivering its vision for Stirling to be the best place to be active and change lives through being active and eating well.”
Vice convener Maureen Bennison added: “The refreshed strategy, which will ensure we look after all our citizens, from early years to adulthood, by giving them the opportunities to be physically active, eat healthily and participate in sport.”
Tory councillor Douglas Dodds said, however: “I fully support any measures to improve people’s fitness and access to physical activity but you can have as many ‘fancy long-term strategies’ as you like and if you don’t have the basics right, such as having proper PE teachers visiting all our primary schools every week, then it’s all window dressing.”
The revised strategy was developed by a partnership group involving a number of organisations including: Active Stirling, Club Sport Stirling, Forth Environment Link, Forth Valley College, McLaren Community Leisure Centre, NHS Forth Valley, Scottish Disability Sport, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, sportscotland, University of Stirling, and Plus Forth Valley.