Member Article

Rise secures £200k investment to help local communities get active again

Rise, a North East-based health and wellbeing charity, has secured £200,000 from the Sport England Together Fund, to continue helping community organisations across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear to deal with issues caused by Covid-19.

The investment is aimed at helping individuals and families most affected by the pandemic to get involved in regular sport and physical activity within their local communities.

Research by Sport England released in April 2022 shows there is a widening gap of activity levels in some communities because of the pandemic, which is affecting people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

The data shows that feelings of loneliness and happiness are worse than they were before the pandemic and levels of anxiety have increased. However, it also demonstrates that the more active a person is, the better they feel.

As a result, Rise is making direct approaches to community organisations offering grants of up to £10k to help those which have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. They include people from lower socio-economic groups, people with a disability or long-term health conditions and culturally diverse communities.

Clare Morely, Rise CEO, explains: “We know that keeping physically active is extremely important to help people look after their physical and mental health. Unfortunately, people with lower incomes, those from culturally diverse communities and people with disabilities and long-term health conditions are less likely to be active than other communities and the effects of Covid-19 are widening the gap that already exists.

“We are proud to have been successful in our bid to secure this important funding from Sport England. It endorses and supports the work we are already doing in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear with a wide range of community organisations who really understand people in these groups, including the barriers that stop them from being active, to develop more opportunities that will encourage activity.

“Sometimes it’s just a small amount of funding that is needed to benefit these target groups, often it can be basic things like buying the right kit or hosting more classes to widen participation that make the difference.”

The Together Fund is a continuation of Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund, which awarded £325,000 to Rise between April 2020 and March 2022 as part of a national support package to help the sport and physical activity sector through the Covid-19 crisis.

Rise anticipates its latest funding will assist around forty projects across its six local authority areas to develop, run and maintain initiatives that will provide targeted communities with better access to activity opportunities between now and March 2023.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rise .