Commitment transforms promises into reality

Photo: Derek Mapp, Sport England National Chairman met a selection of the Region's good practice projects in Plymouth.

"Welcome to Edition 9 of the Sport England SW e-newsletter which has a focus on our lottery funded good practice projects to show you the difference and impact you're all making in getting more people involved and actively participating in sport across the Region.

"Derek Mapp, Sport England National Chairman visited the Region last week and saw first hand a collection of over 20 South West good practice projects in one location. I was personally very proud to introduce him to each and every one of them.

"We also launched our new resource, the Promoting Sport Toolkit, to the Regional Press and partners at the same time. It is an encyclopedia of simple-to-use information on how to promote sport and active recreation to the public. As well as a free library of community sport images, the Promoting Sport Toolkit contains information on everything from how to write a template press release through to a marketing plan to work alongside a sports development programme. It should prove to be a valuable resource to all colleagues working in sport and those at the front line of volunteering in our sports clubs and projects. To see what's on offer, visit www.sportengland.org/promotingsport.

"Our Investment strategy for 2007/08 has also just been produced - download the Regional Plan Bulletin (see immediately below).

"Please do pass onto your relevant networks and partners across the Region these two valuable sources of information and assistance."

With best wishes

Jim Clarke
Regional Director
Sport England SW
Jim.clarke@sportengland.org

Funding

Community Investment Fund - Annual Strategy 2007/08

The Regional Plan Bulletin shows priorities for funding for 2007/08.

We believe it is important to be clear with you about the likelihood of funding from Sport England at the earliest opportunity so that you can make a realistic judgement on whether to invest the time, effort, finances and other valuable resources in developing your project.

We aim to inform you about the main criteria and priorities against which projects will be assessed, funding levels involved, and signpost you on for more help and assistance.

Download Regional Plan Bulletin.

BLF / Cabinet Office for Third Sector- Community Assets Funding

Minimum grant: £150,000
Maximum grant: £1 million
Total available: £30 million

The Big Lottery Fund is delivering the Community Assets programme on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector. This is not Lottery funding.

Community Assets aims to empower communities by offering grants for refurbishment of local authority buildings in England, to enable their transfer to the third sector

Community Assets will bring about the following outcomes:

- Local third sector organisations have greater security and independence, and are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

- Communities have more access to better facilities that respond to their needs.

- There is more effective partnership working between local authorities and the third sector.

The programme is open to joint applications from local authorities and third sector partnerships. Deadline for applications is 15 November 07

More on Communities Assets programme.

BIG Awards

Two significant £50m awards have been made to the Royal Society for Wildlife Trusts and Groundwork UK to deliver two major England wide environmental funding programmes on behalf of BIG. Both programmes will be open for applications in the new year.

Groundwork UK will use £50 million to improve community spaces across England. The lottery funding will help groups create or regenerate local spaces to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. Project targets include play areas, community gardens, parks, wildlife areas, ponds, courts and village greens, and pathway improvements.

Visit the award partner websites for additional information.

www.rswt.org/localfood

www.groundwork.org.uk/news/detail/index.asp?id=72

Funding Workshops

Sport England SW, England Athletics SW and the County Sports Partnerships are teaming up to provide a series of funding and club development workshops for all sports organisations looking to develop their clubs and find that elusive funding.

Visit England Athletics SW website for more information on the workshops.

Planning

Interim Comprehensive Performance Assessment Scores

Download Interim CPA scores for local authorities in the South West for 2007.

These are on the Sport England website.

The main driver of this indicator is the number and location of facilities that have achieved one of the Quality Assurance standards (QASs).

Download current list of sites known to have achieved one of the QASs.

This information has been circulated to local authorities for them to check as it could significantly affect their final CPA score.

The scores do not include 2007 Green Flag Awarded sites (which contain grass pitches). Sport England will update the list when these are released by the Civic Trust.

We are aware that some LA's have already programmed in further assessments for this summer. Where we know of these, we've added them onto the QAS list (coded as 'anticipated' in column G), but as they have not yet passed they have not been included within the Interim scores. As we get confirmation that they have passed, they will be added to the QAS list and included in the final run of the indicator.

Any council wanting to update the QAS list should send details to:
cpa@sportengland.org. The deadline for this is 28 September 2007.

If you have not already so, as appropriate, please consider undertaking one of the quality assurance schemes.

For further information, contact:

Jim Barrett
Improvement Manager - Sport England South West
Ashlands House, Crewkerne, Somerset. TA18 7LQ
T 0207 273 1855 M 07810 180561
Jim.barrett@sportengland.org

Volunteering

Volunteering Framework for Action

Read about the framework and vision for Volunteering in the Region through to 2012. See how Sport England will contribute alongside our partners to make an impact to the volunteer workforce – creating more high quality volunteering opportunities and sustraining participation in sport at the local level.

Download Volunteering Framework Bulletin

Upcoming

Celebrate Community Sport with us

13 November 2007 - Wembley

Come and hear more about Sport England's recent achievements and plans for the future at our Annual Open Meeting. You can also watch martial art demonstrations and go back stage on the Stadium Tour.

More on Annual Open Meeting.

Regional Conference for Sport 2008

27/28 February 2008 - Centre Parks, Longleat

'Altogether Now - The business of Sport' will offer endless interactive opportunities! We will once again be holding a Market place following the success of last year's event, so if you know of any business or club that might benefit from being part of this event, please contact Sue Cooper at the Regional Office on 0207 273 1876.

You may remember that last year we were over-subscribed and that many of you asked for early notification so that attendance could be built in for whole teams as part of staff training and development exercises.

To register your interest email eventssouthwest@sportengland.org.

Case Studies

Cornwall

N Cornwall District Council Walk to Work Project

Over 100 walkers and up to 34 cyclists use St Guron’s Way everyday. For some children the trail has cut journey times to schools by 25–30 minutes, a number of businesses are taking advantage of the congestion free route and it has helped to kick-start a new ‘walking for health’ group in Bodmin which has over 50 members.

Read more on the Walk to Work Project.

Sustrans

The main aim of Sustrans is to get people out into the country, walking and cycling, improving the quality of their lives. The prospect of the Sport England grant enabled Sustrans to obtain pledges of various resources such as cash, land, accommodation and materials from a wide range of partners, and they all delivered as promised. Sport England’s support and funding has enabled Sustrans to exceed all its activity targets.

Find out more about the Sustrans project.

Sportlink Bishops Forum

This project focuses on young people who are disadvantaged or at risk in society. These young people may exhibit low self-esteem or poor social skills, be at risk of exclusion, offending or substance misuse. The Sportlink project works with the young person to remove the barriers they face to participating in sport.

Read more on Sportlink Bishops Forum.

Ginsters Limited

Sport England’s support has enabled Ginsters to employ an Active Workplace Manager to deliver this project. Having someone who is committed and enthusiastic on-site has ensured over 50% of the workforce is engaging in more active lifestyles.

Find out more about Ginsters workplace project.

CREST – Coastal and Rural Extreme Sports Taskforce

Through Sport England funding and support, CREST has established academies in surfing, climbing and surf kayaking. They offer free introductions to extreme sports such as mountain boarding, coasteering and power kiting; all of these activities aim to present extreme sport to young people and develop local talent. CREST delivers a package of extreme sports to targeted groups of children throughout the year.

Read more about CREST.

Callington Community College PEP Programme

The project offers a real solution to meeting the Government's 2010 ambition of 5 hours of High Quality PE and sport per week. It has increased participation, developed skills for personal growth and prepared students and members of the community for life-long involvement in physical activity.

Find out more about the PEP Programme.

Devon

5x30

5X30 is a 3-year local partnership project in Devon, which employs 7 members of staff who work within local communities to reduce barriers, teach the benefits of physical activity and develop physical activity opportunities.

Sport England wanted to support this project as, although it works with the whole population, it specifically targets people with mental health issues, people aged 50 and over, vulnerable young people, the overweight or obese and those on low incomes.

Read more about 5x30.

King George V Playing Fields Trust

This project has been a model example of a community working together in an innovative way to bring new opportunities to people through a wide range of community, social, sporting and leisure facilities in and around a ten to fifteen mile radius of Moretonhampstead.

More about the King George V Playing Fields Trust's project.

Be Active 4 Life

Sport England together with The British Heart Foundation, The Department of Health, The Big Lottery Fund and Loughborough University, encouraged the aims of this Active Workplaces project which promotes physical activity and a healthy lifestyle for the employees of Exeter City Council.

Read more about Be Active 4 Life.

Haldon Forest Park

Sport England enabled Peninsula Forest District (covering Devon, Cornwall, and West Somerset), to increase public use, enjoyment, and awareness of 3,500 acres of local woods, improving accessibility for all.

Read more on this Forestry Commission project.

Granby Island Sporting Equalities Project

This project uses sport as an aid to regeneration, supporting small groups across Plymouth to deliver sessions in areas where young people are seen as a nuisance and potentially as criminals.

Find out more about the Granby Island project.

Gloucestershire

TravelSmart

This campaign achieved substantial increases in walking, cycling and the use of public transport, leading to relative reductions in car trips of 13%, and in car distances travelled of 11% - a net saving of 3 million car kilometres per year among the target population.

More on TravelSmart

County Sports Partnership Active Leadership Journey

Leadership development for key staff, partners and current and potential stakeholders / shapers from the sport, recreation, physical activity and community development and regeneration sectors, is perceived as a critical mechanism through which partnership working can be enhanced.

Read about the value of a Leadership Journey

The Forest Fitness Centre

Run solely by volunteers, the Centre specialises in providing community-based exercise and fitness training for clients with medical conditions, special needs and disabilities.

More on Forest Fitness Centre.

Bishops’ College Extended School Day Project

The Extended School Day project focuses on three Sport England basic outcomes: increasing participation in sport and physical activity, impacting on childhood obesity, and extending the core offer of 4 hours of activity for every young person.

Read more on the Bishops' College project.

Women’s Running Network

Women’s Running Network aim to inspire all women of all ages to run for fun and fitness. It is hoped running with other women in a non-competitive way will encourage those who do not currently run, but are willing to try the sport.

Read more on the Women's Running Network.

Somerset

South West Lakes Trust Wimbleball Lake

Sport England has played an integral part in the development of Wimbleball Lake, which over 9 months has benefited 4,128 people and improved access for beginners in the area to water sports.

Read more on Wimbleball Lake.

Somerset County Council Healthy Workplace Manager

Sport England’s support and funding has been fundamental in employing a Healthy Workplace Manager for Somerset County Council. It has allowed for a proactive approach to be taken to promote healthy lifestyles within the organisation and allowed for procedures, processes and systems to be developed.

Read more on Somerset CC's workplace initiative.

Somerset County Sports Partnership Community Sports Coaches (CSCs)

In this huge, active, grass roots project, 60+ Community Coaches work in over 150 schools delivering high quality lessons in multi-skills, gym, dance, athletics and outdoor adventurous activities across Somerset

Find out more about the Community Sports Coach project.

Crewkerne Active Lifestyle Centre

The Crewkerne Active Lifestyle Centre has had a large impact on the people in the local area.

It has enhanced the range of facilities for the whole community and helped provide a more holistic approach to health-related issues and more active lifestyles.

Read more on the Active Lifestyle Centre.

Active Exmoor

Exmoor is a rurally populated National Park with a potential for attracting active tourists to participate in a wide variety of sports.

Sport England’s contribution made this project possible. With finance and support Active Exmoor have been able to employ a project administrator enabling them to offer more water-sports, training courses and activity promotion.

Discover more about Active Exmoor.