June 10, 2020

Active Cumbria has been awarded £50,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport  England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund which aims to tackle inequalities in activity levels through working with its partners to reach those most in need as a result of the impact of COVID-19.

The funding award will allow Active Cumbria, part of Cumbria County Council’s Public Health team to provide support to community groups and organisations that are working towards tackling inequalities in activity and have been disproportionately affected by COVID -19.  

Sport England’s work and contribution to Tackling Inequalities focuses on reducing the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity levels in under-represented groups, ensuring gaps between those who are active and those who are not do not widen during this period.

With a strong understanding of the needs and issues in their areas, Sport England has initially channelled £3.3m through the 43 Active Partnerships across England to support community groups in their areas as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.   

This funding and support will enable community groups working with target audiences – Lower Socio-Economic Groups, Black, Asian Minority Ethnic Communities, Disabled People and People with Long-Term Health Conditions (LTC) – to continue to exist and engage with their communities with a view to keeping them active during both the lockdown and early recovery stages.

Richard Johnston, Senior Manager (Operations) at Active Cumbria said:

“This funding has come at the right time for us as we assess what the future looks like in terms of sport and physical activity. This funding will help us bridge gaps and enable us to continue to tackle inactivity. We have always said we cannot do this alone and we need to make sure groups and organisations that connect with these key target audiences are supported at this time”.

Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s Chief Executive, said: 

“We are proud to be able to provide funding and support to Active Cumbria in this difficult period. This funding will help support our valuable community infrastructure that is so important in keeping the nation active and will also provide important connections and reconnections for people whose lives have been affected by COVID-19 and for whom remaining active is so important for their physical, mental and social wellbeing. We know from our research and data that there are existing inequalities between groups when it comes to activity levels and COVID-19 has re-inforced these. 

“Thanks to the support of the National Lottery and its players, the Tackling Inequalities Fund will be both crucial and central to ensuring no-one is left behind when it comes to having the opportunity to be active during this period. This builds off the back of our £35m Community Emergency Fund that has already reached and supported over 7,500 community clubs and groups across England.”

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