Cyclists at Moors Valley Country Park with (at the front from left to right) Rob Greenhalgh from Kingston Lacy, Karl Prince from Moors Valley, Tony Jones-Pert from Active Dorset, Cllr Malcolm Birr Chairman of East Dorset District Council, Jim Barrett from Sport England, Dave Franks from Dorset County Council, Jackie O’Connor and Marc Thompson from Moors Valley.
Sport England has given a £221,000 ‘Community Sport Activation Fund Award’ to Christchurch and East Dorset Partnership for a three-year project aimed at improving the fitness and health of residents in the area.
The ‘Activate Coast & Countryside’ project builds upon the successful ‘Activate 1000’ East Dorset project and will encourage regular participation in informal sport through a range of taster and beginner opportunities across Christchurch and East Dorset.
Activities will be delivered from three high profile sites – Moors Valley Country Park, Highcliffe Castle and Kingston Lacy National Trust as well as key community locations. This area focus is a key element of the Christchurch and East Dorset Corporate Plan, which sets out the need to encourage local people to engage with local green space to gain health benefits.
Activities for adults and families will be based around cycling, running, golf, petanque, angling, rounders, canoeing, surfing, orienteering and health walks and will incorporate a number of ‘community games’ to promote opportunities. Each activity will have a strong progression pathway to ensure people continue to participate regularly. The project aims to engage with approximately 1,800 new people each year.
Due to the wide scope of activities included in this new project, a host of new partners and contacts has been developed including local clubs, organisations and national governing bodies of sport. Kingston Lacy National Trust, The Forestry Commission and Dorset County Council are key partners in the project, which has a total cost of £335,000.
Judith Plumley, Head of Community & Leisure at the Christchurch and East Dorset Partnership, said: “We are very grateful to Sport England for continuing to support our programme of activities. This substantial award will enable us to run a large number of courses across Christchurch and East Dorset and improve the health of so many people.”
Jim Barrett from Sport England said: “We are delighted to be able to support this exciting project and hope this will result in many more local people taking part in sport and active recreation.”
This ‘Community Sport Activation Fund Award’ is part of Sport England’s 2012-17 Youth and Community Strategy which seeks to stimulate local sports delivery and help increase participation in sport for those people aged 14 and above.
