Supporting the Sector - Coronavirus
On Monday 4 January, the Prime Minister announced a new national lockdown to counter the steep rise in coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in England.
The new restrictions became law on Wednesday 6 January, it is currently against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they're part of your household or support bubble. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting). This should be limited to once per day, and you shouldn't travel outside your local area.
You can exercise in a public outdoor place:
- by yourself
- with the people you live with
- with your support bubble (if you're legally permitted to form one)
- in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
- or, when on your own, with one person from another household (going for a walk with someone counts as exercise).
Public outdoor places include:
- parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
- public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
- the grounds of a heritage site
- playgrounds.
There are, however, two exemptions to the national lockdown restrictions for sport and activity:
- Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.
- Elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - are allowed to meet in larger groups, to compete and train.
Outdoor sports venues, including tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools, must close.
More information about what is and isn't allowed is available on the government’s website.
Sport England are working with the government to update resources and provide support to the sport and physical activity sector they have created a list of FAQ's here.
Your Governing Body: We would advise sports clubs to check their national governing body of sport website for additional sport specific information. See list of Guidance by Sport
Government Guidance for the Phased Return of Sport & Recreation
From 2 Dec the available Guidance has changed somewhat. The following guidance is now available:
- Grassroots sports guidance for the public and sport providers (Updated 6 Jan)
- Grassroots sports guidance for safe provision including team sport, contact combat sport and organised sport events (Updated 6 Jan)
- Guidance on the phased return of elite sport (Updated 21 Dec)
- Working Safely during Covid 19 - Guidance for people who work in grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities (Updated 6 Jan)
- Guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities (Updated 5 Jan)
- Guidance for full opening schools - wraparound provision and extra curricular activity (Updated 30 Dec)
- Protective measures for holiday and after-school clubs, and other out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak (Updated 31 Dec)
- What FE Colleges & Providers need to do (Updated 30 Dec)
- Guidance for accessing green spaces (Updated 26 Dec)
- Guidance for managing playgrounds and outdoor gyms (Updated 6 Jan)
- Guidance for managing beaches, the countryside and coastal areas (Updated 6 Jan)
Sport England:
Sport England: have announced that they have two key priorities during this period of uncertainty:
- supporting the sector, and
- encouraging people to stay active.
On their website you will find information about funding flexibilities and other funding support. They have a dedicated email address coronavirus@sportengland.org where you can contact them about impact of coronavirus on your organisation and the type of help you think would be beneficial now and in the future. Find out more
Sport England Guidance: Sport England have pulled together a range of guidance for the sector on returning to play.
The resources include:
- Inclusion & accessibility guidance – helping you to understand the government guidance for different groups, how you can engage and reassure specific audiences who may be nervous of returning and how to ensure your facilities are, and remain, accessible to all when allowed to reopen.
- Support for the professional workforce - including advice on staffing considerations for when the safe reopening of facilities is allowed, as well as news on support available from the government and links to resources such as training and development opportunities.
- Volunteering guidance - setting out some of the main considerations to help your volunteers return safely, well-informed and prepared.
- Legal support - Managing liability and risk guidance - to give providers, be they clubs, governing bodies, community groups or regional associations, advice on what issues need considering and how they might tackle them in order to safely return to play.
- Hygiene Guidance - Advice and guidance to help sport and physical activity facilities keep their environment safe for everyone, plus downloadable posters and stickers.
There is also support for sports clubs and organisations, direct on the Club Matters website including:
- Reopening toolkit – this includes information on how your club/organisation can plan its return to sport, with advice on what you need to think about across different areas such as reopening your facility and protecting your people.
- Risk register template – this template, with a dedicated user guide, is designed to help your club/organisation introduce or update your practices regarding how you manage risks.
- Creating a risk assessment – this draws from the current Health and Safety Executive advice and provides step-by-step guidance to help organisations address risk, including coronavirus-specific considerations.
- Social distancing guidance – this resource covers the different practices and considerations your club/organisation may need to introduce so that social distancing can be implemented in line with current government advice.
Sport England Funding: Sport England are making up to £195 million of funding available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. Find out more. A number of funds are currently paused, and new ones (such as the Return to Play funding and a partnership with Crowdfunder) opened. See more on our Funding page and Covid-19 funding page.
Financial support for businesses & charities:
Funding: If you have funding in place already and are worried about this, please get in touch with your funders direct. A number of funders have already expressed they are happy to be flexible, but you must make contact with them. If you are looking for funding, please see our funding page which we will update with any new funds. Please also sign up to our funding newsletter here.
Charities Commission: If you are set up as a Charity, please refer to the latest advice from the Charities Commission. This includes information for Trustees, information about the use of reserves and more.
Support for businesses forced to closed: Financial Support announced by the Chancellor on 5th January comprises two elements, and most community halls and similar facilities (e.g.,Community Amateur Sports clubs) should be eligible for one or the other.
For premises and businesses which are legally required to close and cannot operate effectively remotely, there will be a one-off top up grant as follows:
- £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000.
As with the £10K Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant of Spring 2020 this should be automatic for eligible premises - those with a rateable value of their own which are required to close. So if you received a grant last time, you should this time.
There will also be a £594 million discretionary fund available to support other impacted businesses.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG (Closed)) supports businesses required to close because of temporary local measures. The LRSG (Closed) (Addendum) supports businesses that were required to close due to national lockdown between 5th November and 2nd December. Government guidance reflects the fact that all businesses required to close when Tier 4 restrictions were applied are eligible for grants of up to £1,500 for each 14-day period of closure; these grants are being administered by local authorities and the above new financial package is in addition to these. See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-eligible-for-the-coronavirus-local-restrictions-support-grant-for-closed-businesses
Support for Self Employed: Find out if you are eligible here. The third grant is now open. The extension will last for 6 months, from November 2020 to April 2021. Grants will be paid in 2 lump sum instalments each covering a 3 month period.
Government Business Support: The Government have announced a number of measures to support businesses, you will find the latest here.
Coronavirus Additional Restrictions Grant: The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes or where additional funding is needed. This is distributed via local authorities, please check with your local authority to see what is available. By local authority we mean the following district councils:
Find out if you are eligible here. Some also have discretionary funds available, so if you find you are not eligble you could still enquire about discretionary funds.
Sector specific resources:
Club Matters: has been populated with a number of new resources, case studies and guidance re coronavirus. See their support page here.
As a reminder these include:
- Business continuity plan template
- Securing your premises checklist
- Emergency financial planning guide
- Preparing your committee to operate virtually
- Running virtual meetings and AGMs
- Community and engaging as a virtual club
- Ann Craft Trust – A guide to safeguarding adults through coronavirus
- CPSU – Safeguarding children through Coronavirus (Including online)
- Note – Return to play resource are still available via our website too
- Sport England Winter Toolkit
They are also really keen to showcase the great way that clubs and organisations have been engaging members and volunteers as well as supporting their community. So please get in touch if you'd like to be included. They have also adapted Club Matters workshops to go virtual!
UK Coaching: have temporarily unlocked 10 of their most valuable subscriber resources, making them available to all registered on the site.
Sport & Recreation Alliance: The Sport & Rec Alliance have outlined how some of the Governments measures can support the sport and recreation sector at this difficult time.
CIMSPA: Have created a hub as a place to bring together advice and practical assistance on coronavirus (Covid-19), including offers of support from many of their partners.
- Briefings
- ReActivate Training
- Guidance on outdoor training
- Guidance on indoor training and group exercise
UK Active: Advice and guidance for the sector and the latest on Covid 19. Including:
- A framework for the re-opening of the gym and fitness industry
- A framework for the safe delivery of children’s activity provision during social distancing
Socially Distanced Sport Guidance - Mayor of London: The Mayor's Community Sport Team have published a new guidance document. This toolkit has been designed to support grassroots sport deliverers with advice and key learnings for socially-distanced community sport.
Your Governing Body: We would advise sports clubs to check their national governing body of sport website for additional sport specific information. See list of Guidance by Sport
Training:
See our courses page for current opportunities
ReActivate is a new, free, online training platform, designed to equip anyone working or volunteering in the sport, fitness, leisure and physical activity sector in England with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently return to work or restart their coaching activity. Click HERE for more and to sign up.
Safeguarding:
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents new safeguarding challenges for all those working or volunteering with children.
The CPSU is compiling the latest information and resources for those in the sports sector here.
The Ann Craft Trust has Covid 19 advice here.
Mental Health: Mind have produced a guide aims to equip the sport and physical activity sector with the tools and information required to support the mental health of staff, coaches, volunteers and participants as we ‘return to play’.
Impact of Covid19:
We have pulled together some of the reports and emerging evidence on the impact of Covid19, see here.
Support in Cumbria:
Cumbria County Council: Find the latest information about Covid-19 in the county here.
Cumbria CVS: The wider third sector in Cumbria is being supported by Cumbria CVS, see information here.
Action for Communities Cumbria: Support for communities and community building is available through Action for Communities Cumbria, see information here.
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership: Some organisations may be looking at alternative models of business; CSEP have been funded by Cumbria County Council to provide support and advice.
About Us
As a result of the COVID-19 virus, the Active Cumbria Team will be working in a different way for the foreseeable future. We will be working from home, minimising our non-essential traveling, and will be looking to use virtual meetings wherever possible. This is very much in line with the procedures of our host agency, Cumbria County Council.
All of our Team can be contacted either via email or mobile phone, and the details can be found here
