Sport England are continuing their partnership with Blackpool by providing £1.3m funding to Move Together Blackpool, a place-based approach designed to change behaviours and promote partnership working to help those in the greatest need become more active.
Blackpool is one of 53 places across the country to benefit from Sport England’s Place Expansion Partnerships, aimed at tackling inactivity and inequalities by making sport, physical activity and movement accessible for everyone.
Move Together Blackpool is a collaboration between Active Lancashire, Blackpool Council, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB and local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations (VCFSE) including Blackpool Football Club Community Trust.
Working together, they’re aiming to make Blackpool a healthier community by embedding movement and physical activity into everyday life.
There are a wide variety of both physical and mental health benefits to being active. Educating people on the importance of just small movements every day can make a big difference in creating a healthy lifestyle.
Move Together Blackpool has developed a System Leadership Programme, designed to bring people from across the town together. The programme aims to further participants understanding and approach to collaborative working, with the vision that together we can change systems to better serve the communities they impact. The programme has been attended by over 150 people from 31 organisations so far, with more sessions coming soon.
Move Together Blackpool have four priority areas of work including; Children and Young People, Active Health and Care, System Leadership and Communities. The work will include exploring an ‘Active Schools’ approach across Blackpool and encouraging more movement across the curriculum and the school day. Move Together Blackpool will also be working with healthcare professionals to encourage more confidence in having conversations around the benefits of physical activity and movement as well as increasing awareness of the ‘Active Practices’ charter.
Cllr Jo Farrell, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Sport England to enable healthier communities in Blackpool. By collaborating with other organisations across the town, we’re working together to create a more active Blackpool. Together we’re taking a bold, brave, and innovative approach to increase physical activity in the town and improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
Tina Pilkington, Place Relationship Manager at Sport England added: “As one of our first, new Place Partners we’ve seen first-hand the strong foundations that have been built over the past 18 months in Blackpool. With political, strategic and partner leadership support, we’ve seen a real shift in local collaboration, connectivity and alignment of wider outcomes and priorities to help more people in Blackpool to be active. We are therefore really excited to continue to support and work alongside Blackpool colleagues over the next few years to witness significant and positive impact on Blackpool’s communities and residents.”
The funding received from Sport England will enable the place-based approach to run until March 2028, to help improve health and wellbeing across the town. To find out more about Move Together Blackpool or for more information on the System Leadership Courses, please contact Kerenza.Harper@blackpool.gov.uk.
