Energise Me partners with Sport England to level up access to physical activity and sport

Date: 13 May 2022   Author: Energise Me

Energise Me joins over 120 partners working with Sport England to level up access to physical activity and sport across the country.

Energise Me will receive expertise, support and an investment of £3,686,763 of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to co-deliver the ambitions of its 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active, like:

  • women
  • people with long-term health conditions
  • disabled people
  • people from ethnically diverse communities
  • lower socio-economic groups.

Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.

What the investment means for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Energise Me will continue to work with people and communities all over Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to tackle the things that are preventing active lifestyles. We want everyone to improve their health and happiness by moving more, especially those who face health and other inequalities. We will raise awareness to influence change wherever it is needed, invest in co-designed solutions, and equip people with the skills needed to make change.

We will raise awareness to influence change wherever it is needed, invest in solutions, and equip people with the skills needed to make change.

Longer-term financial security

Over £550million is being invested in total. Partners, including Energise Me, will receive funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic.

All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of, no matter how big or small. This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships, as it seeks to partner and collaborate with innovative organisations to deliver Uniting the Movement and build a nation where everyone can get active.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active – no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But we know that certain groups – like people with a disability or long-term health condition, people from low income backgrounds, over half of our children, people from Black or South Asian ethnic groups, and LGBT+ people are more likely to be inactive. We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change. Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level up and deliver.”

We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change. Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England

Thank you from our Chief Executive

Julie Amies, Chief Executive of Energise Me said “We are delighted that Sport England has awarded Energise Me this long-term investment to tackle inactivity across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. For every one of the 800 people who took part in our conversations to understand what gets in the way of being active, and for those who join the conversation over the next 5 years, this award will help to reimagine physical activity so that everyone feels welcome and able to join in. We want everyone to feel the positive benefits of moving more, in a way that suits them. We would like to thank Sport England for this opportunity to work in partnership with them to level up access to sport and physical activity”.

Get involved

Girl hula hooping

We Can Be Active Strategy

We Can Be Active strategy for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

East Hampshire Walking for Health group

About Energise Me

Energise Me is a Hampshire charity that champions active lives.

Our Partners

Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness

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