Communities along the Somerset Coast, including Burnham-On-Sea, Highbridge, Bridgwater, Minehead and Porlock, are set to benefit from a major new investment announced today (Thursday, November 27th) to help tackle inactivity and health inequalities.
The Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) has been named as one of 27 new ‘places’ across England to receive funding from Sport England, which is investing £250million nationally to make sport and physical activity more accessible.
The Somerset Coastal strip has been identified as an area of high need, with some of the country’s highest levels of inactivity, deprivation and health inequality.
A £230,000 development award will support a range of initiatives, including creating a multi-agency Active Place Team in Bridgwater to support families; strengthening partnerships with primary care to help people manage long-term health conditions; and local insight gathering to ensure community voices shape future plans.
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director for Place, said: “We want everyone, no matter where they live or who they are, to have the chance to be active and healthy. To do this, we’re focusing on places, towns, cities, and communities, where people face the biggest challenges. We are proud to announce a further 27 new Sport England place partnerships, in every corner of the country, bringing the total number of places we are working with to more than 90.”
“We are committed to working 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 Somerset.”
Jane Knowles, SASP CEO, said: “Through this partnership with Sport England, we have a real opportunity to work alongside our coastal communities to remove the barriers that prevent people from being active. We are grateful to Sport England for recognising the unique challenges faced by these communities and for investing in a place-based approach that values local insight and lived experience. We look forward to working closely with local partners, residents and our Locally Trusted Organisations to support people along the Somerset Coast to move more for their health and wellbeing, building activity and movement into our daily lives.”
The Somerset Coastal Place Partnership is also inviting Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) to get involved. LTOs are community-rooted organisations that are trusted locally and work collaboratively to make a positive difference. Each participating LTO will receive pilot funding to support community consultation and ensure local voices shape future plans.
LTOs will join a network that builds skills and local capacity, strengthens community voice, connects local partners, and shares learning to enhance resilience and impact across the Somerset Coast. If you are interested, please email Jake Hannis at SASP on jhannis@sasp.co.uk
Readers can also take part in an online survey to help gather feedback on the scheme.
