Active England Funding Announced
Active England Programme
Active England is a joint £108.5 million community sport investment programme between the New Opportunities Fund and Sport England. The programme aims to bring with it the flexibility needed to encourage creative approaches that will begin to drive up physical activity levels and sports participation rates in England.
The Government strategy for delivering its sport and physical activity objectives, Game Plan, set a target of 70% of the population in England being reasonably active by 2020. This investment programme seeks to begin the step-change required in physical activity and sports participation levels by supporting a number of innovative projects that demonstrate their ability to work towards this vision.
The Active England programme will seek to create and support sustainable innovative multi-activity environments in areas of social, sport and health deprivation in England by 2005 and to increase participation in sport and physical activity among all the sections of society, but particularly those which are typically under-represented in sport and physical activity participation.
More information and application forms are available at the following site:
http://www.sportengland.org/funding/fund_news.shtml
Active England in Derbyshire
Across the East Midlands there is a budget of £9.7 million
All funding must be fully committed by 30th September 2004.
The programme has 2 phases:
1. Invited applications
The Regional Sports Board will be inviting a small number of organisations to submit initial bids by 9th January 2004 and these projects must be in a position to complete and open the facilities by 31st March 2005.
Following meetings of the Derbyshire and Peak Park Sport and Recreation Forum Communities Portfolio Steering Group and the District Leisure Officers Group this week, it is proposed that a collective approach be taken to the 'Open Application Phase' in Derbyshire. In order to maximise potential funding for the county and to apply strategic need, a group will be convened to co-ordinate the process.
The Communities Portfolio Steering Group plus significant others (Forum Facilities Development Manager) will act as the "sounding board" to assess projects against criteria and input further where required before they are finally submitted to the Regional Sports Board. It is hoped that this will add value and provide a "joined-up" approach to the process.
This group will meet on 9th March 2004, which will allow time for amendments and further input to potential projects, therefore increasing the likelihood of successful projects for Derbyshire. However, it would be useful to have an indication of the scope of projects by 12th February 2004 so please send application forms to Andrea Kemp at the Sports Development Unit. (Lea Green Development Centre, Main Street, Lea, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5GJ).
Guidance for East Midlands Applications
The deadline for the submission of bids to the Regional Sports Board under the open process is 31st March 2004 and all projects must be completed and open by 31st December 2005.
All projects (invited and open applications) will have to meet the national eligibility criteria:
- The project creates or supports new or modernised multi-activity environments
- The applicant is a formally constituted or statutory organisation
- The applicant can meet the Active England timetable for project delivery
- The applicant has adequate security of tenure
- The applicant is not requesting duplicate or replacement funding
- All project costs are eligible.
On the 15th December the Regional Sports Board will agree a regional focus for the open bid stage to ensure that successful applications contribute to the delivery of the regional sports strategy.
More details will be available after 15th December but the Regional Sports Board is likely to be looking for the following:
- Allocating a larger number of smaller awards across the region.
- Creating a sustainable network of community workers, linked to multi-activity environments across the East Midlands to change attitudes to sport and physical recreation and drive up participation.
- Workers would be based around a revenue generation facility that is a blend of linked spaces, either indoor or outdoor, which are designed to reflect the locally identified needs for physical activity and sport.
An example of such a capital/revenue project would be:
Worker operating from a youth centre managing and operating a "community activity space" comprising a large open space with a rubber crumb surface, low glare floodlighting and marked out for a variety of casual activities and sport ranging from tennis and basketball to 5 a side and netball. High, ornamental railings designed by a local artist and craftsman and decorated with motifs designed by local school children enclose this main space.
Surrounding this are 6 other separate areas, denoted by floor and landscape. These are a teenage hangout space, a skateboard ramp, half pipe and grinding bar and informal seating area, there are 2 basketball hoops and a tar macadam area around them marked out as a 3 on 3 practice area, a rebound wall with cricket wicket marked out and a smaller, floodlit, (18m x 30m) hockey training / 5 a side football area with a shock pad and carpet surface.
The beauty of these elements is the way they are designed to combine to form a community activity space in an informal park like setting.
Equipment, colour, texture, planting, lighting and materials are combined to provide a space that engenders use from early morning to late evening. The facility is sited close to parking and is visible from local houses, and sited close to or adjacent to schools, community centre, village hall or church hall. It is an integral part of the fabric of the community.
The facility takes on a different role throughout the day and from day to day. From over 50s Tai Chi at 8.00am to local primary school use or community use through to being home to a thriving midnight basketball league and 5 a side league in the evenings.
The facility is designed to encourage small groups of friends to play small-sided games and marketed and managed to welcome individuals to try out new sports at open taster and recreation sessions.
The facility provides local young people with the opportunity to sample a wide range of sports and to develop the fundamental skills required to enjoy and succeed in sport throughout life. Local sports clubs would develop strong links to the facility in order to create exit routes for those young people wishing to pursue their involvement with one or more sports and in order to identify talent that exists within the local community.