Cumberland is set to benefit from a share of a £250 million project aiming to boost activity levels across the country.
Cumberland Council is one of 53 places across England to be awarded funds – which aim to give people in need the chance to be physically active – by Sports England.
Three areas across the region have been selected to receive the funding. These include: Flimby, Ellenborough and Broughton Moor in Maryport, Workington West and Mirehouse, Kells and Woodhouse in Whitehaven.
Each of these places is in the top 10 per cent of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality.
Research carried out by Sport England has found that active lifestyles save £10.5 billion a year for the health and social care system.
It is believed this relieves some of the burden on the NHS, preventing 1.3 million cases of depression, 600,000 cases of diabetes and 57,000 cases of dementia – the UK’s leading cause of death – annually.
The research also found that less than half of England’s children are meeting the chief medical officer’s guidelines for daily physical activity and women, people from lower socio-economic groups and Black and Asian people are still less likely to be active than other adults.
In a bid to tackle these inequalities and break down barriers to a more active life, Sport England is taking a place-based approach and partnering with local organisations and leaders who understand both the specific needs of their communities and the local assets that are available.
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s executive director for place, said: “We are proud to announce our partnerships with 53 new places in every corner of the country.
“We know that where someone lives plays a huge part in how active, or not, they will be. Through our Place Expansion programme we will work with local partners and communities to break down the barriers to physical activity so that everyone has equal access to a more active life.
“We are excited to see what we can achieve together in Cumbria.”
Local partnerships in each place have already been formed, bringing together key stakeholders from the public, voluntary, and private sectors each with a keen interest to support their communities to be more active.
Cameron Wilson, development officer at Active Cumbria, said: “The place-based investment is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting change within the communities selected in Cumbria to ensure that more people can live active lives for longer.
“The data highlights lots of the challenges faced within the communities selected, but to really understand these communities on a local level there needs to be a huge focus on collaboration and a partnership approach to tackling issues.
“We are extremely excited to see the impact of this work within Cumbria, bringing communities together to create opportunities for all to move more.”
