Wakefield Trinity Community Trust wins National Lottery funding to help people on a low income become active

• People in lower paid and routine jobs can face many pressures that make it difficult for them to fit activity into their lives, such as lack of money, lack of time and competing priorities
• This project will focus on males who are primarily 35 to 64 years of age and largely inactive.
• It’s supported with National Lottery funding by Sport England to improve people’s health and mental wellbeing through sport and activity

A pioneering project by Wakefield Trinity Community Trust to help local people on a low income become more active and healthier has won National Lottery funding from Sport England.

The Charity, who specialise in ‘Changing Lives through Sport and Physical Activity,’ has been awarded almost £16,000 funding over a two-year period as part of Sport England’s strategy to improve people’s health and mental wellbeing through sport and activity.

Sport England is funding a wide range of projects around the country, using varying approaches to help people to feel healthier, happier, more confident and able to cope with life’s pressures, or more connected to their families and communities.

Sport England research shows that a third of people in lower paid and routine jobs are inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of exercise that gets them slightly out of breath each week. And inactivity in people in lower paid, routine jobs is twice that of people on a high income in senior and managerial roles.

The ‘Back Onside’ project will target males who are largely 35 to 64 years of age who are inactive and from areas of low incomes. Spread across two years, the sessions will be delivered by current and former players such as England Internationals Tom Johnstone and James Batchelor plus First Team Assistant Coach Stuart Dickens, Strength & Conditioner Joel Fulford and Physical Disability team Captain, Darren Dean.

Wakefield Trinity Community Trust General Manager, Craig Shepherd said, “We are very privileged to be able to deliver this project within the Wakefield district. Inactivity is an issue nationwide which, for most people, isn’t as simple as going to the gym. There are other factors that inhibit motivation and through this project we hope to be able to impact the lives of over 140 males within our local area. There will be some insight that we can build from the information we collate and that should help us better serve our communities in the future.”

Sport England Executive Director, Mike Diaper said, “Wakefield Trinity Community Trust has a strong track record of working with their local community and we’re very excited by how their project will make a positive difference to people’s lives.

“We know that people on a low income can face many practical and emotional challenges that make it difficult for them to be as active as they would like to be. So we’re working with community-focused organisations across the country to find ways to help people fit physical activity and sport into their lives in ways that work for them.

“The lessons we learn from this local project will really help to shape our work with similar groups across the country.”

‘Back Onside’ is one of 34 projects to receive a share of more than £3.36 million in this latest round of Sport England funding specifically aimed helping people on a low income get active.