We know that those who do the least activity stand to gain the most, even if they only do a little bit more. That’s why tackling inactivity is at the heart of our Towards an Active Nation strategy.
We also know that the take-up of sport and physical activity varies and one of the biggest differences we see in our Active Lives survey results is between socio-economic groups.
Defining socio-economic status can be complicated, but in general we can see that the more affluent parts of our society are nearly twice as likely to be active than those from more disadvantaged communities.
That's why we established the Tackling Inactivity and Economic Disadvantage fund, which is supporting 35 projects via £4.5 million of National Lottery money.
Who is the fund supporting?
Most of these 35 organisations had never received funding from us before and did not have a track record of delivering sport or physical activity, but they all wanted to make a difference for the communities in which they work.
Their projects are focusing on a broad range of different audiences, from people in employment who sometimes struggle to make ends meet, to those facing more complex challenges such as substance misuse or homelessness.
Their approaches to engaging these audiences are also varying greatly, from late-night physical activity sessions for shift-workers in Manchester, to a programme of activity sessions at a women’s refuge charity in Yorkshire.
Related content
A third of the 12 million adults in England who are in a lower socio-economic group are inactive. Our research unpicks some of the reasons why, with useful tools and resources.
This investment guide explains our approach to tackling inactivity, with support and guidance for organisations who'd like to work with us.
We help local authorities to develop sport and physical activity in their area, as well as trying to learn more about the location-specific barriers faced by people when trying to get active.