A pioneering project by Southern Brooks Community Partnerships and South Gloucestershire Council to help local people on a low income become more active and healthier has won National Lottery funding from Sport England.

Sport England is funding a wide range of projects around the country, using varying approaches to help people to feel healthier, happier, more confident and able to cope with life’s pressures, or more connected to their families and communities.

Sport England research shows that a third of people in lower paid and routine jobs, are inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of exercise that gets them slightly out of breath each week. And inactivity in people in lower paid, routine jobs is twice that of people on a high income in senior and managerial roles.

Sport England Executive Director, Mike Diaper, said: “Southern Brooks Community Partnerships has a strong track record of working with their local community and we’re very excited by how their project will make a positive difference to people’s lives.

“We know that people on a low income can face many practical and emotional challenges that make it difficult for them to be as active as they would like to be. So we’re working with community-focused organisations across the country to find ways to help people fit physical activity and sport into their lives in ways that work for them.”

“The Active in Life project will enable us to extend sports programmes right into the heart of our communities and will also continue our good work with local partners in reducing barriers to sports participation. This project will help raise the profile of local sport and ensure residents are involved in developing activities which work for them.”

Cabinet Member for Communities and Tourism Cllr Paul Hughes said: “We’re pleased to be delivering this innovative initiative alongside Southern Brooks, thanks to funding from the National Lottery and Sport England.

“We know that it can be difficult to find time in our busy lives for physical activity, so we want to bring accessible activities in to the communities where they are needed most. We are making sure that the activities on offer are affordable and we are also making childcare available where possible. We hope to help over 500 local people become more active for each year of the project and will be providing ongoing support to help them continue to maintain a healthier lifestyle.”

Southern Brooks Community Partnerships is one of 34 projects to receive a share of more than £3.36 million in this latest round of Sport England funding specifically aimed helping people on a low income get active.