Welcome to April’s newsletter.
This edition has the latest funding information from Sport England, including news of a themed funding round that is focused on Rural Sport and offers exciting opportunities for Gloucestershire if robust and high quality bids can be prepared. Any organisation contemplating a bid to this fund is welcome to get in touch with us to discus their ideas and to see if there is anything that we can do to assist and support the development and preparation of a bid.
Readers will also note a number of articles with an emphasis on physical activity that may stimulate ideas or direct readers to resources that are available and may be of assistance. If you have not done so already please do consider registering with the Change4Life campaign.
There are also the usual news stories and information about courses and events, so I hope that every reader will find something of use. If you do not please let us know or even submit an article for publication.
Best wishes
By John Stevens
Chief Executive Officer
Latest News on Sport England’s Funding Schemes
Sport England is committed to the creation of a world-leading community sport system. This means focusing future investment on organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport.
In addition to investment in key partners to deliver specific objectives, Sport England are launching funding programmes open to a wide range of organisations. These include sports clubs, voluntary or community organisations, local authorities, schools, colleges and universities. Especially relevent to Gloucestershire is Sport England’s first themed funding round which has a focus on Sport and Rural Communities. The Rural Communities Themed Round aims both to address barriers and create new opportunities for participation in sport in rural communities.
Sport England wants the programme to be as flexible as possible, and so would welcome applications either to modernise or enhance sporting facilities, or provide revenue funding for any aspect of sport development, or a combination of the two. The total funding available is £10 million of National Lottery money.
The overall aim of this investment programme is to develop projects that encourage people living in rural communities to participate and / or sustain their participation in sport, and help those with talent fulfil their potential. Successful projects and bids will be directly linked to at least one of Sport England’s strategic aims of:
- Grow: getting one million people doing more sport and working with the Youth Sport Trust to enable young people to access at least five hours of sport a week
- Sustain: increasing participants’ satisfaction with their sporting experience, and reducing the number of young people aged 16-18 who drop out of sport
- Excel: improving talent development.
If any organisation in the county is thinking about submitting a bid to this scheme please contact John Stevens (jstevens@glos.ac.uk) to discuss the potential project and whether Active Gloucestershire can offer any assistance with developing a bid. The full funding programmes from Sport England are:
- Small Grants
- Sportsmatch
- Innovation Fund
- Rural Communities (this is the first of Sport England’s new themed funding rounds)
- Sustainable Facilities Fund
For further information click here.
Free Swimming Launched
The Government has launched its £140 million free swimming initiative, at an event attended by top swimmers Jo Jackson, Mark Foster and Heather Frederiksen.
From 1st April, more than a thousand swimming pools - run by almost 300 local councils - will offer free swimming to people aged 60 and over. Over 200 councils will also offer free swimming to those aged 16 and under.
The initiative, announced last June, is a key part of the Government’s plans to deliver a lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More details of the free swimming scheme, can be found by clicking here.
As part of the initiative, a £50 million capital fund is being made available to councils in 2009/10 and 2010/11 to modernise existing pools and help build new facilities. This fund is being administered by Sport England, and grants to 52 projects, totalling £19.2 million, have been announced today.
Further details of the free swimming capital modernisation programme can be found by clicking here.
Coaching Bursaries A Great Success
Aspiring sports coaches have been getting help to pay for their courses and their tutors supported in getting higher qualifications - thanks to a programme funded by Sport England.
Access to quality coaching has been identified as a key factor in getting people playing more sport and making it a life-long habit. Sport England’s latest survey of people’s sporting experiences (Active People Survey 2) showed that 7.5 million people benefited from tuition from a coach in 2007/08.
The £1.8 million scheme has been delivered in partnership by the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, SkillsActive and sports coach UKsupported locally by County Sports Partnerships. People taking an official coaching course recognised by the national governing bodies (NGBs) of 45 sports were able to apply for the support.
The programme was set up to fund:
- 3900 bursaries for people taking sports coaching courses
- Support for 1800 coach educators/tutors to achieve further qualifications
- Support to professionalise coaching schemes such as e-learning tools, databases and resources.
Phil Smith, Sport England’s Director of Sport, said: “Increasing the number of high quality coaches in a wide range of sports will help us achieve our goals of getting one million people playing and enjoying more sport and helping those with talent fulfil their potential. Sport England has already committed to investing tens of millions of pounds in coaching over the next four years because we need great coaches to create world-leading grassroots sporting opportunities.”
The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure coordinated the programme and presented potential coaches with a simple package of bursaries, education and training. Florence Orban, interim CEO of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure, said: “We are delighted to be playing a significant role in meeting Sport England’s objectives of getting more people involved in sport, helping those with talent to excel in their sport and ensuring a quality experience for those who participate. Our partnership is a significant step towards creating a larger, more skilled, workforce that will help secure a lasting sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
The programme built on the success of a coaching bursary scheme, managed by SkillsActive, which has so far led to over 2,700 coaching qualifications being achieved in the South West and London. Over 100 coaches in Gloucestershire benifited from the programme. Stephen Studd, SkillsActive Group CEO, said: “Coaches are the lifeblood of sport in this country and investment of this size will both support their development and continue to build a coaching infrastructure for the future. Quality coaching underpins so many of Great Britain’s sporting ambitions – to be in the top five sporting nations by 2012 and to raise participation at grassroots level – so it is important we ensure the right people with the right skills are in place to support and deliver those ambitions.”
Dr Pat Duffy, sports coach UK Group CEO, said: “This approach represents an important step in focusing and streamlining support to coaches and governing bodies of sport. The partnership approach is central to the UK Coaching Framework and maximising the role of coaching in supporting Sport England's grow, sustain and excel outcomes.”
WM Ski at South Cerney has become the first Cable Ski facility to gain British Water Ski accreditation!
British Water Ski have been running a pilot project with the cable sites to establish standardised, high quality Water Ski facilities throughout the country. JB ski were one of the clubs to have undergone the rigorous inspection process and are now the first Cable Ski facility to be certified and accredited by British Water Ski.
This means that the facility is being run to the high standards required by schools and other community based organisations. Inspections are carried out annually and will ensure that only the highest quality facilities remain accredited.
Any British Water Ski club can apply to be inspected and a full list of Accredited clubs is available click here to find out more.
You’re invited to do something amazing at Race for Life 2009
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2009 needs women everywhere and their friends, family and colleagues to take part and raise money to help them to continue their life-saving work. At the same time you will also feel the benifit from building regular preperation sessions into your lifestyle.
Race for Life is the UK’s largest women only fundraising event, where women come together to raise money to help Cancer Research UK beat cancer. Whether you walk, jog or run 5k you can go at your own pace and enjoy a great day out.
There are over 230 Race for Life events taking place all over the UK this summer. So please join us and enter Race for Life 2009 and invite every woman you know to take part too. You can enter today by going to the Race for Life wesbite or by calling 0871 641 2282.
The local Race for Life dates are:
- Cotswold (Kemble) Race for Life 17th May 2009
- Gloucester (Hartpury) Race for Life 21st June 2009
- Cheltenham Race for Life 5th July 2009
April sees the start of Year 2 of the Sport Unlimited programme.
As year 1 comes to an end and providers of projects are frantically assessing the end of the first year, we begin the next round of funding. Year 2 (1st April 2009 - 31st March 2010) sees a number of new clubs, sports and organisations running sessions for young people in Gloucestershire.
The majority of funding has been allocated for year 2 and providers are raring to get started!! Year 2 also sees the launch of a competition where young people participating in 80% of sessions and providing feedback on their experiences through Facebook can win a Nintendo Wii.
Further details on the competition and projects taking place in Gloucestershire can be found by clicking here.
Changes to the Sporting Champions Scheme
In line with the new strategy, Sport England has reviewed the structure of Sporting Champion visits and the remit of the scheme. Going forward it will have a much greater focus on the Five Hour Offer, contributing mostly towards supporting Sport Unlimited.
For further details on how to request a Sporting Champion visit click here.
Change4Life survey says: Too many children not getting enough exercise
Results from a massive survey of Change4Life families show that almost three quarters (72 per cent) of their children are not getting 60 minutes of daily activity outside of school. The campaign's new TV ad, which launched on the 24th April, urges families to get up and about more in an effort to cut levels of obesity.
The 'How Are The Kids Survey', launched in January, is the biggest national survey of children's diet and activity levels, and received more than 260,000 responses from families across England.
The survey of Change4Life families also found that 45 per cent of their children watched TV or played non-active video games before school, and only 22 per cent did something active after their evening meal.
Since the survey began, families have been sent tailormade support packs to help them make small but important changes to their daily routines. The new Change4Life advert focusing on getting families more active will add encouragement to that support.
The new advert responds to the need for families to get more physical activity into their daily routines - to make sure that energy in, is matched by energy out.
The ad features the Change4Life family as they realise that 'sitting around doing nothing' can lead to a build up of fat in their bodies that can cause diseases such as type two diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
The family find lots of fun ways to get their kids active for 60 minutes - playing in the park, walking to school and playing with active computer games where kids need to jump and dance around.
Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Public Health said:
"Our survey shows that kids just aren't getting up and about as much as they should. If we're going to cut obesity levels our children need to be active for at least 60 minutes a day."
"Families up and down the country are getting tailor made action plans from Change4Life, and our new ads will give additional encouragement to help families feel the difference."
"By eating better and moving more, we can all live longer and healthier lives. With continued support from Change4Life this can be a reality for every family in England."
Change4Life: A free short Training and Development opportunity with the “The Promoting Activity Toolkit”
To be held at UWE, Bristol on 19th June 2009.
Have you heard of a new tool to improve the marketing of sport and physical activity programmes? Its called the Promoting Activity Toolkit. Click here to find out more.
The Toolkit aims to make it quicker, cheaper and easier to promote physical activity or sport programmes and events?
It’s now being rolled out across England. 92% of people who have attended the short training so far say it is helpful or very helpful to them.
The toolkit includes…
- A design tool for creating posters and leaflets
- A photo library of people taking part in different activities
- A planning tool for deciding on your target audience
- Pre-written promotional messages for 19 target audiences covering the entire population
- Calendars of campaigns, sports and activity events to help with your timing
A 2-3 hour workshop has been developed to explain the best way of using the Toolkit to promote your programmes.
Anyone who organises events or programmes to encourage people to be more active and who is not a marketing expert, e.g. Active Lifestyle, Sports Development, Community group leader, Health Promotion, Practice Nurses. will find this tool and training useful
For further information and booking details please email Katie.flight@gosw.gsi.gov.uk.
The latest Change4Life update has come out from the central Change4Life team.
Some of the key findings are that at the end of February 57% of the public have heard of Change4Life, and 63% of mothers have heard of it.
For the full performance statistics click here.
Register with Change4Life
Are you registered as a Local Supporter to receive our Change4Life email
newsletter? The Change4Life Campaign is a great opportunity for any organisation or individual working to increase physical activity and/or reduce obesity to obtain help, advice and resources.
Click hereto register.
Swim4Life
Hot on the heels of Breakfast4Life comes Swim4Life, C4L’s latest initiative that helps us all get ‘up and about’ and have some fun! Swimming is such a good way for families to be active and enjoy themselves. It doesn’t matter how old you are, being in the water helps us move around and stay healthy, and can also be a great way to unwind and just have fun. And there’s never been a better time to get down to the local pool. From 1st April 2009, lots of local councils are providing free swimming for kids aged 16 and under (many are offering it to 60s and over too), which makes it the perfect way to keep them occupied during half-term! You can find out more about free swimming here.
The best way to get kids and their families in the water is to download the Swim4Life toolkit from the Change4Life website. Developed with the Amateur Swimming Association it’s packed with loads of fun games that either you can pass on to the families you work with, or parents/carers can play themselves with their kids in the pool. On the website you’ll also find videos showing you some of the games, the Swim4Life Local Supporter’s Guide, and our Top Tips that give you things to think about before you take your group to the local pool. And if you organise or run sessions at a pool, there are Top Tips for pool providers too, helping you with everything from advertising your pool to ideas for who you can partner with to make the most of Swim4Life. You can download the Swim4Life toolkit next month by visiting and going to ‘tools’ within the ‘partners and supporters’ area. Then you’ll have everything you need to run sessions yourself or encourage parents to take their kids themselves!
60 Active Minutes
The latest Change4Life TV ad is planned to air from the end of April, and this time will focus on ‘60 active minutes’. As one of the 8 Change4Life habits that the campaign is promoting, it highlights the fact that kids need to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day (this doesn’t have to be in one go) to get their heart beating faster than usual. This helps them burn off energy to prevent them storing up excess fat in the body, which can cause serious illnesses. So look out for the Change4Life family making another appearance on our screens soon!
British Heart Foundation - Get kids active at school
Kids' And Schools' Catalogue For 3-18 Year Olds (new edition 20 April 2009)
is a catalogue of resources available to children, young people and teachers. Each resource has been designed to encourage children and young people to adopt healthy habits that will protect their hearts for life.
To download a copy click here.
Over 200,000 children to benefit from £10m of cycle training
Over 200,000 more schoolchildren in England will have the opportunity to have Bikeability training this year thanks to £10m of government funding as part of the official launch of Bikeability for 2009. This funding is part of a record £140m package which aims to give up to half a million children the chance to take part in Bikeability - the National Cycle Training Standard - by 2012.
Whilst visiting cycling schemes in the North West Transport Minister Paul Clark said; "Having the skills to cycle to school and make other local journeys has never been more important, especially as it helps children and young people reach the 60 minutes of activity recommended by the Government's 'Change4Life' campaign.
"That's why I'm so pleased that by this time next year 350,000 children will have done their Bikeability training, which puts us ahead of our target to deliver 500,000 additional training places by 2012."I will be doing my own Bikeability training next week and, like the children I've met today, I look forward to hopefully receiving my Bikeability badge."
With 41% of all trips in England being less than two miles, a distance which can be cycled in less than 15 minutes, cycling has a major role to play in promoting sustainable travel and improving health and fitness. Bikeability allows children to learn essential road safety skills and gain greater awareness of the dangers on the road - giving parents the reassurance to allow them to undertake short journeys, especially cycling to school.
This funding supports the continued development of Bikeability training which is promoted in England by Cycling England. £5.4m will go to local authorities to provide Bikeability cycle training; £4m will go to the Youth Sport Trust to deliver cycle training in schools through the School Sports Partnerships; and £500,000 will be given as bursary grants to help fund 1,600 new Bikeability trainers.
Philip Darnton Chairman of Cycling England said: "We are determined to make 2009 the year of Bikeability and this funding is a tremendous start. Learning to ride a bike is a life skill and with the engagement of local authorities and the School Sport Partnerships around the country, we are working to give all young people the opportunity to get Bikeability training within the next 3 years" Bikeability is supported by the 18 cycling demonstration areas programme which promotes cycling and spreads best practice for other areas to learn from as well as a further 70 local highway authorities outside of London and Transport for London. The Department for Transport is also working to improve travel links to schools, connecting 500 schools via traffic calmed or traffic-free routes to the wider national cycle network by 2011.
To find out more on Bikeability click here.
Sustrans celebrates ten years of volunteers
Sustrans is celebrating the ten year anniversary of its Volunteer Rangers and appealing for more people to come forward and help make a real difference to their local cycling and walking routes.
The first Volunteer Rangers began helping the sustainable transport charity in 1999. Ten years on, there are now around 2,500 volunteers across the UK giving their time to Sustrans, which amounts to a grand total of 140,000 hours of work every year at a value of almost £1.5million!
But, as the National Cycle Network continues to grow - it currently covers more than 12,000 miles across the UK - more people are needed to help maintain and promote it.
Tony Ambrose, Sustrans Volunteer Programme Manager, said: ‘A decade of dedication from our Volunteer Rangers is a huge achievement, well worth celebrating. It's the perfect opportunity to say thank you to all those that have given their time during the last ten years, and encourage more people to get involved.
‘With the help of volunteers, Sustrans has managed to create and improve a vast network for healthy and environmentally-friendly travel. It's a lasting legacy that will continue to benefit people across the UK for many years to come.' Volunteer Rangers give an average of four to five hours a month to check on their local section of the National Cycle Network, by bike or on foot, and make it more pleasant and safe for everyone who uses it.
Ranger tasks can involve anything from clearing overgrown plants and branches, putting up route markers or organising litter-picks, to leading guided walks and bike rides for the public.
Rupert Douglas has been a Volunteer Ranger on National Route 7 near Penrith in Cumbria since the very beginning. He said: ‘During my ten years as a Volunteer Ranger I've seen the Sea to Sea route in Cumbria grow enormously in popularity.
‘It's a great feeling knowing that I'm helping to maintain and improve the route for both local people and visitors to enjoy.'
The National Cycle Network runs within 2 miles of 75 per cent of the UK population, and is increasingly well-used, with more than 354 million trips made on it in 2007.
To find out more about the Volunteer Ranger opportunities in your area, call 0117 9150110, email volunteers-uk@sustrans.org.uk or click here to visit their wesbite.
English Federation For Disability Sport
Free Volunteer Training Online
The Advocacy and Activity Buddy Scheme (AABS) is a project run by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) to support clubs and physical activity centres and groups to set up volunteer programmes to help support disabled people to become more active.
The AABS project has developed a toolkit and resources to inform, train and support volunteer coordinators and their prospective volunteers. Within the toolkit, there are administrative templates (eg: application forms, expense claims forms), training manuals and a power point volunteer workshop. To accompany these resource, AABS will shortly be launching an online volunteer training site. Click here to visit the EFDS website.
The AABS training site is aimed at all those people wishing to support disabled people to access sport and physical activity within a club, group or leisure centre. It can be accessed through any PC or laptop which makes training volunteers less time-consuming for the club or facility and more accessible for the volunteer, regardless of their ability. As such, it is hoped that volunteer training can be more accessible for disabled people wishing to support other disabled people. It covers a number of topics from understanding what volunteering is to the skills and knowledge needed and what a volunteer can expect in return.
The training is split into 6 sections with questions after each section. The training can be accessed as and when the volunteer is able to do so and does not have to be completed in one go.
The AABS online training site is due for launch by the end of April but please click on the following link to access the EFDS website and register your interest. Once the site is live, AABS will email you with the appropriate link. It is hoped that you and your volunteers can take advantage of this training to enable more people to support more disabled people more effectively.
If you require any further information on the AABS project and receive the AABS resources please contact Sarah Cohen by calling 0113 245 0610.
To register your interest in accessing the free online volunteer training please click here.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On. DH, April 2009
’This report reviews progress on the delivery of Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England (published January 2008) and sets out priorities for the future.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a personal responsibility first and foremost, however government plays a significant role in helping support individuals and families in making healthier choices.
One Year On builds on the five themes from Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, but demonstrates how thinking has developed over the last year to keep up momentum in tackling unhealthy weight.
The aim is to help people make healthier choices; continue to create an environment that promotes healthy weight; provide effective services for those at risk, and strengthen the local delivery system.’
Download a copy of this report from the DH website.
IOC praises London 2012 progress
Organisers of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been praised for the 'astounding' progress being made in preparation for the event, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Delegates from the IOC travelled to the capital in order to assess the ongoing construction of new venues at the Olympic Park site on what was their fourth visit to London since the city was awarded the 2012 Games in 2005.
Denis Oswald, chair of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the London Games in 2012, said: "We have been greatly impressed by the good progress that London 2012 has made since our visit last year, particularly in moving from planning to operational delivery.
"This fast pace of development is no doubt down to the great spirit of co-operation that exists between the different partners involved in the 2012 project. Their ability to work as a team, plan ahead and solve issues together is ensuring the Games and legacy planning remain on track as we head towards 2012."
