Portsmouth has received a share of £250m from Sport England to improve health outcomes and get people active
- Successful Portsmouth partnership attracts national funding from Sport England
- University of Portsmouth is working with a consortium of local partners to tackle inequalities and improve health outcomes for Landport and Buckland residents with physical activity and community engagement
The University is part of a group of Portsmouth based organisations working together that have successfully attracted a share of funding from Sport England.
The consortium, coordinated by Active Partnership Energise Me, has been formed to collaboratively tackle inequalities and improve health outcomes for residents in Landport and Buckland by helping them to move more.
The investment covers the first year of a three-year programme. Landport and Buckland are among the 53 places set to benefit from a share of Sport England’s £250 million investment into the heart of communities across England.
The first stage of the investment will see the group deploy Community Coordinators through local organisations to work with communities to understand what will help them to get more active.
Inactivity data for Portsmouth indicates over 14,000 children and young people are not reaching the recommended activity levels for good health. Over 52,000 adults in Portsmouth are not meeting the guideline.
Landport and Buckland were highlighted by Sport England as places for investment using inactivity insight and other social need indicators, to target funding in areas it could have the biggest impact.
Last year, Portsmouth was chosen as the city to be home to the UK’s first PLAYCE, a multi-movement activity space built using a pioneering scientific model for movement called the Athletic Skills Model (ASM). It was constructed in Lords Court, Landport, after the council approved the use of the site.
Pompey PLAYCE © University of Portsmouth
The project was a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth City Council (PCC), and the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) Company.
Dr Martina Navarro from the University’s School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences co-led the PLAYCE project, and will act as academic lead for the new Sport England collaboration. She said: “This collaboration is about breaking down barriers to physical activity and creating sustainable, community-led solutions. By working closely with local organisations and residents, we can make movement more accessible, enjoyable, and impactful for health and well-being in Landport and Buckland.”
Sport and physical activity contribute significantly to the health and wellbeing of residents. Just last month it was announced the potential social value combining the wellbeing benefits that individuals experience and cost savings to public services like healthcare in Portsmouth is £363 million.
Place Development Lead at Energise Me, Lee Timothy said: “Landport and Buckland already have such a great sense of community. It’s been fantastic to see so many people step forward to be a part of creating happier and healthier communities.
“It’s a truly collaborative effort. Everyone’s relationship with movement is different and by working with community coordinators we'll be able to test opportunities residents have told us they enjoy, leading to more sustainable participation in being active.”
The Landport and Buckland Activity Panel is is represented by:
- Buckland Community Centre
- Energise Me
- Pompey in the Community
- Portsmouth City Council
- Portsmouth Hospital
- Solent Mind
- Sustrans
- University of Portsmouth
- URBOND
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