The video consists of a series of representatives from activity groups in Essex speaking on screen about their work, with clips of people taking part in their activities cut in between their interviews.
A group of women dance in a dance studio.
A rickshaw, with a ‘Welcome to Essex’ sign on the back, rides away from the camera.
A group of young girls play a skipping game in a hall.
A group of men play football on an artificial pitch.
A woman plays a hand percussion instrument in a group.
The camera cuts to the same woman who begins talking to the camera.
Caption: Efua – Efua Sey Cultural Academy
Caption: The first thing every human being does when they arrive on earth is to dance – dancing makes you feel happy. Physically, mentally, spiritually. It makes you a better person.
The video cuts to Efua dancing in a group and smiling.
The camera focuses in on different members of the group, predominantly young girls, dancing and smiling.
Caption: Smita – Chelmsford Hindu Society
Caption: To be active, it just elevates your mood. You dance and you be one with music, and the rhythm just gives you that new pace.
The video cuts back to the first group of dancers we saw, dancing in a studio.
The video cuts to a man riding the rickshaw shown earlier, in a car park with a woman sitting in the rear.
Caption: Indi – Essex Cultural Diversity Project
Caption: With the artist Lata Upadhayaya we used the rickshaw to actually engage people and encourage them to actually become more active in cycling.
A woman rides ride a car park on a bike, followed by the man on the rickshaw.
Caption: Lata – artist
Caption: It’s not only that you are using your muscles for exercise, you are doing your mental exercise as well.
A woman now rides the rickshaw in the car park, with other women watching on.
Caption: Helen – Ghana Union
Caption: Our community is sedentary, there is a lot of inactivity and a lot of sicknesses or illnesses because a lot of people think physical activity equates to sport. But physical activity can be anything – just a normal walk, having fun with the kids
A woman competes in a sack race.
A group of children play basketball.
Three women take part in an egg and spoon race.
A woman catches a rugby ball.
Another man races the egg and spoon race.
A group of people jump and dance around.
Girls play a skipping game.
Caption: Smita – Chelmsford Hindu Society
Caption: Active Essex has helped us to be ourselves, be normal, and have that in spite of all the bad news that we have been listening to.
Women continue to dance, talk and smile in the dance studio.
Caption: Sidra – Women Together
Caption: Women together has helped the ladies actually find their sense of belonging. It improves their confidence through so many things which they thought they weren’t able to do – but they can. It builds up their immunity and their health.
Sida from Women Together sits in a garden and sets up a video call on her laptop.
Women dance again in the studio.
Caption: Emmanuel – Refugee Action Colchester
Caption: What I went through before coming to the UK, it helps coming in to play and to socialise and to just spin out some stressful thoughts.
Emmanuel plays football with a group of men on an artificial pitch.
Caption: Lata – artist
Caption: When they see and when they cycle it, the expression on their face and the laughter, almost like they are dancing around with the rickshaw.
A woman rides the rickshaw in a car park and cheers.
A woman waves from the back of the rickshaw while being ridden around.
Caption: Helen – Ghana Union
Caption: The buzz is… you cannot describe it. With all this Covid and all these gloomy seasons we’ve had, I think this brings a lot of interaction. This also brings having to know the people who live around is. It also brings fun and it always brings the community together.
A man dances.
A group of women race an egg and spoon race.
A group of women spin around while dancing in a hall.
Helen, three adults and a child take part in a tug of war.
A group of women take part in a dance/exercise class.
A man plays football, wearing a Ghana Union t-shirt which, on the back, says ‘together we stand, divided we fall’.
Caption: Sidra – Women Together
Caption: It is important we continue funding these kinds of projects because you’re actually helping the most vulnerable people out there, the ones who really need the support
Two women high five at the end of a dance routine.
Caption: Efua – Efua Sey Cultural Academy
Caption: It’s really heart-breaking to know that in the ethnic minority community, people really feel isolated and sometimes people feel that they don’t belong. Then it’s important that we do whatever we can in our own small way to get everyone integrated and being involved in the community. The funding enabled us to reach people who otherwise would be sitting at home. The funding really supported us to make an impact on people’s lives
Children run around in a circle as Efua leads a group of drummers.
Efua leads a larger group of drummers, before the camera focuses in on her smiling.
Efua leads a group of three children dancing in front of the drummers.
Caption: Phase 2 of the Active Essex Tackling Inequalities Funding focused on supporting ethnically diverse communities – 25 organisations were supported with 1,497 people benefitting from it.
The screen turns white and the Active Essex and Sport England logos appear beneath text reading: The Tackling Inequalities Fund, via Active Essex.
