Active Suffolk have been successful in securing over £170,000 of funding which will help to upskill employees working within the sport and physical activity sector.

£73,528 of the funding secured by the Active Partnership has come from the Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund, whilst over £100,000 of partnership funding has come from Suffolk County Council, local leisure operators, Sport England and The Chartered Institute of the Management of Sport & Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

The funding comes at an ideal time as the sector continues to recover from the damaging impact of the pandemic. Latest data tells us that nationally 48% of the sectors workforce left the industry during the pandemic and in Suffolk alone this has been reported to be as high as 60% for some leisure operators.

The funding will allow Active Suffolk to deliver on a 15-month 'Active Skills' project, which will deliver over 300 qualifications, addressing skills gaps within the sector and upskilling employees in the prevention and management of long-term health conditions.

The project, led by Active Suffolk will be driven by insight, gathered through an evidence-based needs assessment and sector skills strategy. The delivery of this project will adopt a county wide, collaborative, partnership approach led by local employers working within the sport and physical activity sector.

For more information on the Active Skills Project, please contact Susannah Challis

Through the Movement for All programme, The Richmond Group of Charities and our partners have gathered insights into the common barriers preventing people with (multiple) long term health conditions from being active, and identified that some of those barriers are external, and that any mediation and change would rely on the engagement and support of key stakeholders.

A set of Physical Activity and Long Term Conditions Resource Packs outlining key messages targeted at specific audiences, each with a tailored set of actions have been developed to support our health partners and those working within the sport and leisure sector.

The aim of the pack is to help us and the wider the sport, leisure and physical activity sector continue to ensure that supportive, inclusive and accessible physical activity opportunities and facilities are a priority. The packs highlight four things we can do to make a difference to enabling physical activity along with useful information about physical inactivity and long term health conditions and some tools and ideas for how to make changes in practice.

More information and access to the resource packs can be found on our website here

London Hearts, a registered charity which specialises in the supply of Defibrillators, related equipment and training have recently launched an initiative to assist Sports Clubs in obtaining this life-saving equipment. They are currently offering a £300 grant towards the cost of every Defibrillator they supply to Sports Clubs across the whole of the UK and also offer free training with every Defibrillator they supply.

Recent tragic Cardiac Arrest events involving professional sports persons at the peak of their fitness shows that Cardiac Arrest can happen to absolutely ANYONE at ANYTIME and ANYWHERE! If you go into cardiac arrest without a defibrillator, you have a 7% chance of survival. If a defibrillator is on the patient within the first 3-5 minutes, the chances of survival is over 70%.

If you would like to access the grant funding for a defibrillator please complete the application form on their website.

UK Coaching also offers FREE e-learning on Sudden Cardiac Arrest which is packed with immersive and scenario-based learning, practical information and tips to help you respond quickly and appropriately to a sudden cardiac arrest. For more information or to book on please refer to their website

Sports Structures on behalf of Sport England are offering FREE Clubmatters workshops which are short training sessions aimed at developing your skills, improving your knowledge and ultimately helping you develop your organisation or club. Each Club Matters workshop typically lasts two hours (can be delivered virtually or face to face) and are delivered to reflect the context individuals are operating in. The workshops are open to anyone involved with an organisation that tries to promote sport and / or physical activity.

There are 10 workshops to choose from and these are running over a number of different days/times over the next 3 months so if you are involved in a Sports Club or organisation who could benefit from this training, please refer to the Sports Structures website to find out more and book your FREE PLACE today!

The following courses are available to book:

British Cycling are looking for hundreds of people across the UK to join their team of Ride Leaders and inspire more people to get fit, have fun and ride bikes with Guided Rides.

You don't need to be a cycling expert or competitive racer, just be confident riding in a group and have a good level of cycling fitness. They welcome all kinds of cyclists as long as you have heaps of enthusiasm and you're happy to support beginner bike riders and families.

There is a FREE one-day course taking place in Bury St Edmunds on 30th July and there are 10 spaces up for grabs. The course will qualify you to deliver guided bike rides for groups of beginner and intermediate level adults and accompanied children on roads and cycle paths. You'll also be provided with branded kit, British Cycling Ride membership and ongoing support to help you on your way.

For more information and to book your FREE PLACE on this fantastic opportunity please CLICK HERE. Closing date for applications is 15th July. For more information on the Let's Ride initiative, please refer to their website.

Ukrainian swimming teachers who have been forced to flee the invasion are being offered the chance to gain a world-renowned qualification free of charge. The Institute of Swimming and Swim England Charity have launched a two-part initiative to help resettle those who have arrived in the UK as part of the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family Sponsorship scheme.

A bespoke training offer will allow Ukrainian swimming teachers to gain their Swim England Qualifications (SEQ) Level 1 and Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualifications at no cost to themselves.

The retraining opportunity, will be funded by the Institute of Swimming, partnering leisure providers and Swim England Qualifications (SEQ). The Institute of Swimming's partners will provide the trainee teachers with mentorship and practical work experience, ensuring they have the necessary capabilities for the role. They will also be provided with Institute of Swimming membership – with associated insurance coverage and benefits – and be matched with partnering leisure providers to offer local employment across England.

The £150 bursary will be a contribution to the overall financial support that clubs are providing, and can be used by the committee to directly support the swimmers' resettlement journey.

Active Suffolk welcomes this move by Swim England to allow displaced Ukrainian Swimming Teachers to gain qualifications that will allow them to find employment in the UK. We urge stakeholders and partners to spread this message and encourage you to connect us, directly or indirectly, to those to whom this might apply. Active Suffolk will support them making the appropriate connections in order to take advantage of this opportunity.

More information can be found HERE