Over the past year, Active Suffolk have successfully distributed over £170,000 through Sport England's Together Fund to local organisations and charities across the county who work with individuals who would be at greater risk of being less active. On the 20th June 2023, Active Suffolk hosted over 60 delegates at Ipswich Town Football Club to facilitate the sharing of learning and experiences of delivering physical activity to Sport England's priority audiences; Lower Socio-Economic Groups, Culturally Diverse Communities, Disabled People and People with Long-Term Health Conditions.

Throughout the morning, delegates had the opportunity to network with Together Fund funded organisations at the marketplace. As well as hear the stories, experiences and learnings of project participants and deliverers from across the county. Organisations who spoke at the event included: Suffolk Mind, Sporting Memories, YMCA Trinity and Making Fitness Accessible CIC. Find out more HERE.

Keep an eye on our social media channels for Together Fund stories and learnings in the coming months!

This summer, up to £3 million is available through The National Lottery Community Fund's Awards for All England Programme; a collaboration of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the National Lottery. This funding is the first phase of 'The Million Hours Fund', totalling up to £11 million to be distributed by March 2025. Initial funding will provide more chances for young people to play sport, take part in arts and develop life skills this summer.

Applications will be welcomed for projects which will support young people primarily aged 11 to 18 (and up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities); these projects will need to start during the 2023 school summer holidays. The aim of the funding is to support a wide range of youth services who offer positive activities for young people, in particular those within eligible wards with the highest reported numbers of antisocial behaviour incidents. Data about antisocial behaviour incidents in Suffolk, can be found on the Suffolk Observatory website HERE (the map can be a particularly helpful tool when looking at ward level).

Projects must be delivered by trusted adults, whether they are qualified youth workers/youth support workers or experienced volunteers, and provide open or targeted (for example, via youth faith groups) provision for young people.

To find out more about the funding, please click here; https://www.gov.uk/guidance/applying-to-the-million-hours-fund

Uniting the Movement is Sport England's 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. The report highlights the progress made against their four year implementation plan.

Outlining key outcomes of their varied work within the sport and physical activity sector, and beyond, Sport England's impact report is the first in a series of regular updates on their continued delivery of their long-term strategy. To find out more, please visit their webite: Uniting the Movement impact report published | Sport England

A few of the reports key findings include:

*Active Lives Adult Survey Report November 2021-22

** Active Lives Children and Young People Report Academic Year 2021-22