£3M AWARD TO IMPROVE NATION'S HEALTH
A £3m investment to help boost the health of the nation
by increasing participation in swimming is to be made to the
Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).
Sport England today announced the £3 million award
to nine regional pilot schemes to be run by the governing
body for swimming which places health as a clear priority.
The Lottery investment has been awarded through the community
investment fund (CIF) also as part of Sport England's work
to improve the nation's health through increased participation
in sport and physical activity.
A Development Co-ordinator will be appointed at each of the
nine pilot pools. The coordinator will manage the pilot and
introduce participation-driven health related programmes,
with a strong focus on marketing, partnership working and
evaluation.
David Sparkes, ASA Chief Executive, said: "The ASA recognises
that to get more people, more active and more often is a massive
challenge for the nation. Sport England and the ASA with this
project will look at changing the culture of swimming to encourage
more people into the pool and will look to work locally with
health professionals and organisations on this exciting new
concept."
Details of the pilot schemes are still to be agreed with
the ASA but will target groups including those most likely
to be inactive and therefore at risk in health terms. The
team will also work in partnership with the Department of
Health and other partners on the project to maximise health
benefits. The ASA will also be looking to leverage substantial
partnership funding for the project.
Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, said: "Sport
and physical activity plays a key role in tackling the crisis
of obesity and inactivity. Through its accessibility and high
participation levels, swimming has a key role to play in this
drive. The investment in this innovative pilot scheme will
help us look at different ways to engage more people in swimming
and is another example of our commitment to innovation and
modernisation in sport.
"As we continue the drive to increase participation
and improve the nation's health it will be key to share good
practice across the sector and we will be looking at how the
lessons learned from this pilot might be applied to other
sports and might be used to leverage funding for similar projects
from other sources."
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