Active Cheshire is amongst a group of over 120 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to level up to access to sport and physical activity across the country.
Active Cheshire will receive expertise, support and an investment of £2.69m of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to co-deliver the ambitions of its 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy.
Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.
Active Cheshire will lead a systematic approach to allow more people to become more physically active, more often. Active Cheshire CONNECTED, the vision of a healthier and more active Cheshire & Warrington set out an ambition to drive change, at scale, so that our communities can enjoy the many health benefits that regular physical activity can bring.
Active Cheshire’s role will be to create an inclusive system where physical activity, movement and sport are accessible, inclusive and open to all, especially those people from historically underrepresented groups.
Over £550million is being invested in total, with the partners including Active Cheshire receiving funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic.
All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of, no matter how big or small. This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships as it seeks to partner and collaborate with innovative organisations to deliver Uniting the Movement and build a nation where everyone can get active.
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active– no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But we know that certain groups – like women and girls, those with disabilities and long term health conditions – are more likely to be inactive. We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change; Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level up and deliver.”
Mike Watson, CEO of Active Cheshire said: “We are delighted that Sport England has recognised and invested in our new strategic direction which will see Active Cheshire prioritising our partnership with local and regional groups who have overlapping priorities around physical activity. We begin our quest from a position of strength, as we look to build upon really solid foundations across our unique sub-region, and have already begun the hard work needed to meet the needs of our communities. We’re excited for the challenges ahead.”