Get active campaign gets under way with £19,000 boost

Are you on the subs bench of life when it comes to sports and activity?

Or are you a mild enthusiast who could do more, a couch potato who couldn’t care less or a sporty type gunning for gold?

Whatever your situation, South Norfolk Council’s new Community Sport Network has just scooped over £19,000 funding from Sport England.

That’s the final piece in a funding jigsaw which fires the starting gun on a South Norfolk campaign to get more people active and into sport.

It also means the Network now has a total of over £70,000 at its disposal - the £19,000 from Sport England and the rest in contributions from the Network’s partners who have in many cases offered their facilities free.

Councillor Michelle Monck, Cabinet member for Tourism, Heritage, Enterprise, Culture and Customer Services said:

“This campaign will provide hundreds of people of all ages and abilities with the opportunity to be more active in their towns and villages. It's an exciting programme of activities and sports.

"We’re reaching out to everyone whether you are on the couch reading this, or heading down to one of our leisure centres. My message to you is grab this chance, and get active."

In practical terms, the new money means many activity projects can get under way. These range from a cycling tour of Diss for families on 29 June to late night floodlit basketball for 16 to 25 year olds.

For older residents, it will help fund yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates classes and for families, an aquathon at Wymondham pool, where parents and children compete as a team.

It also brings in the people who will make it happen supporting coaches and volunteers who run sporting activities, and will hopefully attract more people to get involved.

South Norfolk Council is trying to reach four key groups:

- “Couch potatoes” (20%) who are turned off sport and activity, where the network will be raising their awareness and trying to change attitudes.

- Those “on the subs bench” (44%) who could be persuaded if sport was accessible or attractive, and here the network is removing barriers or bringing activities nearer to them.

- The “mild enthusiasts” (16%) who are keen, but could do more, where the network is trying to increase access and cut drop out rates.

- The “sporty types” (20%) who are keen to continue, and here the network is focused on safeguarding what sports provision there is and guiding these potential stars to elite sports.

Every year, South Norfolk Council holds its Community Sport Achiever Awards to focus on the 20% of those serious about sport.

This year’s awards attracted Goldie Sayers, who shortly after was picked to lead the UK women’s javelin team at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

In South Norfolk Council’s bid to Sport England, it pointed out that 21% of the adult population regularly take part in sport or active recreation. The figure is identical in south Norfolk, and 20.5% in the eastern region.

13.3% of South Norfolk residents have taken part in organised competitive sport in the last 12 months. This is the third lowest figure in the eastern region. Nationally, the figure is 15%.

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