Football clubs given share of £240k to help tackle men’s weight issues

A DERBYSHIRE County Councilfunded project will see football clubs delivering weight management projects to men.

Derbyshire County Council is providing over £240,000 to Derby County FC Community Trust and Chesterfield FC Community Trust so they can deliver Tier 2 weight management services.

Councillor Carol Hart, cabinet member for health and communities, said: “Tackling obesity is a key national priority and in Derbyshire 66.8% of adults are classed as overweight or obese.

“Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. “

The additional funding comes from the Government which, in July 2020, launched “Tackling obesity: Empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”.

As part of this all local authorities in England were offered additional funding to either expand existing adult Tier 2 behavioural weight management services or create new services. For Derbyshire the additional funding is £442,000.

£246,000 is being used to commission Derby County Community Trust and Chesterfield FC Community Trust to deliver tier 2 weight management services.

Derby County Community Trust will receive £123,000 to deliver services in the south of the county covering Amber Valley, Erewash, South Derbyshire and South Dales while Chesterfield FC Community Trust will get £123,000 to focus on the north covering Chesterfield, Bolsover, NE Derbyshire, High Peak and North Dales.

Sharon Dale, health manager for Derby County Community Trust said: “Our team have years of experience and expertise in helping participants to make healthier lifestyle choices, which we can’t wait to put into practice in this new project.”