The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is investing £126m across the country with the aim of improving the physical and mental health of people of all ages by promoting exercise and healthy eating.

The money will come from the BLF’s Well-Being programme and will be dispersed across 14 organisations. Five national bodies (including Age Concern, MIND, Sustrans, the School Food Trust and The Foyer Federation) will share £73m, while nine regional organisations will share more than £52m.

Sustrans, for example, will be using its £19.9m grant to target inactive individuals to incorporate cycling and walking into their everyday lives.

Malcolm Shepherd, Sustrans operations director, said: “This funding will allow our Active Travel Consortium programme to change the lives of millions of people across the UK. The practical work we have planned will enable and encourage more people all ages to walk and cycle as part of their everyday lives.”

Some of the other projects to benefit from the funding include Central YMCA’s plans to increase physical activity, encourage healthy eating and improve the mental heath and wellbeing of people in 20 of London’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods – called Well London – which will receive £9.46m.

Another London project, run by the Peabody Trust, will receive nearly £5m to help improve the health of 43,000 people in social housing communities across all the city’s boroughs, while a scheme in Burnley, Lancashire, will receive £200,000 to promote the advantages of eating five pieces of fruit and veg a day.

Well-Being is part of the BLF’s £2.6bn portfolio of programmes running until 2009. Details: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk