Millions of pounds of lottery funds to help people to become active

MILLIONS OF pounds of Lottery funding will be invested in a new pilot scheme to help a select number of communities – including five in Yorkshire – become more active, Sport England has announced.

Sport England said it has chosen 12 local authorities because it wants to identify better ways to address inequalities. As part of the scheme, the organisation will also work to break down the barriers that stop people being active, including poor transport, safety, cost and confidence.

Across the next four years £100m of National Lottery funding will be allocated to help create partnerships which make it easier for people in these communities to access sport.

Sport England said these partnerships will encompass organisations beyond the sport sector such as voluntary groups, social enterprises, faith organisations and parenting groups. These partnerships will then look at how parts of a community can work together to help the most inactive – from the quality of parks and open spaces to how sport and activity is promoted by GPs.

Jennie Price, Sport England chief executive, said: “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 places chosen, all with varying population sizes and inequalities, include Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Middlesbrough and Withernsea.

Sport England said it would work closely with each of the 12 places, but that each would be likely to have their own individual needs which must be addressed.