Sport England targets families with £40m funding round

Sport England has revealed details of its latest funding round, which will focus on getting entire families more physically active.

As part of its new strategy to open its coffers to any organisation which gets people more active, Sport England has revealed the first 22 projects across the country to benefit from a total of £40m worth of funding.

The organisations will be tasked on putting on a variety of free and low-cost activities – including activity roadshows which will offer families the opportunity to try out new sports.

According to Sport England, the projects will reach more than 15,000 people.

The funding decisions have been made with the focus on helping families who are either on a low income, or have low levels of education or employment. Projects also include those activating families who’ve suffered domestic abuse and are living in a refuge, children with special needs, and families with complex mental health needs.

Those selected to share the £40m pot include the London Tigers project, which offers families from Bangladeshi, Pakistan, Afghani and other Arabic-speaking cultures to take part in activities in parks, pitches, schools, and other local spaces.

Others include the Young Brent Foundation, which organises single parent families low-cost sports activities; the Oasis Children’s Venture in London, which offers ethnic minority families sporting activities free of charge; and Midland Mencap in Birmingham, designed to help children with special educational needs take part in sailing, kayaking, climbing and swimming.

"We are funding organisations that help families get active together, because parents and close family members can have a big impact on children’s experiences," said Sport England's director of children and young people, Jayne Molyneux.

"Just by seeing their parents being active, children can be inspired to do the same, and if they have an enjoyable experience they’re far more likely to continue as an adult."

Molyneux added that further funding for projects to help families get active together will be announced later in the year.