Wolverhampton set to benefit from Get Out Get Active

More UK locations will be part of Get Out Get Active’s (GOGA) success story over the next three years.  Thousands more inactive people across 21 locations will benefit from the latest £5million programme funding.

Today, Active Black Country is delighted to announce Wolverhampton is one the successful locations.

In September 2019, we announced the founding funder, Spirit of 2012, awarded a further £3 million to GOGA across the UK. At the same time, Sport England also invested an additional £1 million into England.

Last week London Marathon Charitable Trust revealed their £1 million grant investment. The ground-breaking programme began in 2016, created to bring disabled and non-disabled people together to be active. It engages the least active communities in fun, inclusive ways. Now it is set to continue until at least 2023.

Creator and lead partner Activity Alliance teamed up with an extensive range of partners to help GOGA reach more people. These partners offer in-depth local knowledge and national expertise.

GOGA is more than being active. It strengthens community spirit, increases confidence and improves mental health. It increases the demand for, and the accessibility of, activities. These may be provided by local authorities, sports clubs or the voluntary sector. The success is through tapping into people’s real life motivations to be physically active. The new funding will enable partners to build on phase one’s success and share learning.

Initially there were 18 locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who together engaged an incredible 20,000 people. Commencing in April 2020, phase two will have 21 locations.

After a stringent process, Wolverhampton was chosen as to be part of phase two.

The activities here will include a series of pilot projects that look to explore the potential of faith-based organisations to reach the most inactive disabled and non-disabled people with a specific focus on BAME communities. Active Black Country will be working closely with a number of partner organisations, including Wolverhampton VSC and Wolverhampton City Council to deliver co-designed programmes of physical activity in places of worship.

Michael Salmon, Head of Insight, Health and Wellbeing from Active Black Country said on the announcement:

This is fantastic news for Wolverhampton. Active Black Country recognise that the physical activity workforce is broader than clubs and coaches and that to tackle inactivity, and truly enable behaviour change, we have to develop partnerships with organisations that have genuine reach into the most isolated members of our communities.

Faith Centres, many of whom have both community spaces and an existing interest in the health and wellbeing of their congregation, were identified by Active Black Country as the type of influential touch points that could enable us to increase our engagement with inactive people and transmit positive messages regarding physical activity. This investment provides us with a real opportunity to tackle inactivity amongst some of the most isolated members of our communities.”

The 2020 -2023 localities are:

England:
Amber Valley and Bassetlaw, Blackpool, Bradford, Forest of Dean, Haringey, Liverpool, North and North East Lincolnshire, Nottingham, Sunderland, Wolverhampton and Wiltshire

Northern Ireland:
Mid and East Antrim and Mid Ulster

Scotland:
Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Angus – NHS Tayside

Wales:
Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Powys – West Wales Partnership, Cardiff, Swansea and Newport – South Central partnership and Conwy, Flintshire and Denbighshire – North Central partnership

By 2023, GOGA will have:

• Reached over 40,000 individual participants, with at least four in ten remaining active
• Engaged 1,500 volunteers’ support
• Supported 2,500 volunteers and paid staff’s training

For more information, please visit www.activeblackcountry.co.uk or www.getoutgetactive.co.uk

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