EMD UK supports new TIF projects
Last year EMD UK was awarded funding from Sport England’s £20m Tackling Equalities Fund which was made possible by National Lottery funding. The funding enabled us to work with some of our partner organisations – The Keep Fit Association, The Medau Society, Move It or Lose It, Para Dance UK, Pungra, Synergy Dance Outreach (SDO) and Community Fitness Network – to support their projects linked to the Fund’s objectives – to help to reduce the negative impact of coronavirus and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity.
Sport England are now working with national partners to support with further investment for projects and initiatives running in 2021/22, and we are excited to be working with more organisations to support their projects.
Creative Fields wishes to develop free movement and exercise programmes which are ‘easily accessible for people of African or Caribbean heritage in care homes, day centres and community groups to improve their physical activity levels. The project will develop movement and exercise content suitable for older adults from these backgrounds and allow participants to access the free sessions through funding.
There is an immediate need for the project within London boroughs as different groups have experienced challenges accessing exercise sessions due to COVID-19
The aim is to support this group to stay active, as well as improve mental and social well-being as some groups are still isolating due to COVID-19. It will also support groups returning to face-to-face delivery, where safe and practical to do so.
Community Warriors CIC is developing a supportive programme aimed at families from backgrounds. Families will be able to access an online exercise and healthy eating programme with live online classes, on-demand content and a nutrition element. The focus will be on working as a team to complete classes and exercises within a 9-week programme and a live support channel will be offered to encourage participants.
The project aims to help participants understand the connection between healthy eating, good nutrition and exercise, as well as encouraging behaviour change to improve long-term physical and mental wellbeing. Success of the project will be measured through the programme reaching and engaging with those from a lower socio-econimic background. The project will seek to understand participant feedback on how the programme has supported them to stay (or become) active while many are still faced with restrictions due to the coronavirus.
Dancing for Health CIC will be delivering a project to support people with long term health conditions and/or disabled people with access to seated online exercise classes over the next 6 months.
The dance exercise programme will also allow time before and after the online dance class for social engagement with the rest of the group to help participants increase their physical, mental and social well-being.
The project will widen reach by offering the sessions to participants in South Yorkshire, as well as Derbyshire, and aims to run over the next six months to support and keep the target groups active as restrictions ease and they build confidence to return to in-person activity.
The project will also help support the Dancing for Health CIC whilst unable to deliver their usual sessions due to COVID-19.