- Rosie Scares
Think Active and Coventry City Council welcome the announcement that Coventry has been recognised as a priority place for Sport England and stands to benefit from future funding.
Coventry is one of more than 90 locations set to benefit from a share of Sport England’s £250 million place investment. This investment into the heart of communities across England is designed to tackle inactivity and inequalities by making sport, physical activity and movement accessible for everyone.
To tackle inactivity in these places, Sport England is taking a place-based approach, partnering with Active Partnerships, local organisations and leaders who understand both the specific needs of their communities and the local assets that are available for supporting people to play sport and get active.
Sport England has been testing this community-based approach since 2018, with insight from pilot areas demonstrating that its investments are making a positive contribution towards changing the way local systems work and reducing inactivity amongst those who need the greatest support.
“Sport and exercise are a fantastic way for people to connect with their communities. However, if you live in a less wealthy place, the less active you are. That’s why we focus our resources on places where they can have the most impact.
“Making exercise a normal part of life for everyone, all over the country, drives major social and economic value; active lifestyles save the health system £8 billion a year. If everybody can take part in sport and exercise – regardless of background, bank balance or postcode – we will all be healthier, wealthier and happier.”
Simon Hayes, CEO – Sport England
As the Active Partnership for Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, Think Active, have been collaborating with local partners to develop a submission to Sport England for this place investment.
In September, we hosted a Coventry Place Partner Engagement Event, where we brought together partners from across Coventry to hear from partners and stakeholders to help shape the submission to Sport England. Read more about the event here.
Think Active held an engagement event for Coventry partners earlier this autumn
While the funding announced today is new funding into Coventry, it will build on previous projects supported by Sport England which have focused on enabling people living in Canley, Willenhall and Foleshill to be active, facilitated by local organisations such as CV Life, Positive Youth Foundation and Grapevine.
Additional areas of the city stand to benefit from this new Sport England place investment, including Henley, St Michael’s and Radford.
“We are delighted that Coventry has been awarded this significant Sport England investment. It gives the city the opportunity to build and expand on everything we have learned and to strengthen collaboration across communities, health partners, the voluntary sector, and the local authority.
“This investment matters because we know the stark inequalities in who is active and who isn’t, and the impact this has on people’s health, independence, wellbeing and quality of life. By putting physical activity at the heart of tackling health inequalities, Coventry can make real, lasting change for the people who need it most.”
Vicky Joel, Chief Executive – Think Active
If you would like to be kept up to date with the latest news about the Sport England place investment, please complete this form and we’ll be in touch.
Think Active is a member of the Active Partnerships network, collaborating with local partners throughout Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire to promote the power of sport and physical activity for transforming lives and keeping people living well. Find out more about what we do.
