Funding available for local communities in Wem who show commitment to improve physical activity in the town

Shropshire’s Everybody Active Every Day, a new community-based project to address physical inactivity in Wem, is being launched at Wem Annual Parish Meeting on Tuesday 17 May 2016 at 7pm at Edinburgh House, Wem.

Residents, community groups and organisations in Wem are being invited to attend the meeting to find out more about the initiative and the funding available to support local projects.

Shropshire’s Everybody Active Every Day community fund project is available in four areas across Shropshire.  Other towns identified include Broseley, Whitchurch and Craven Arms.

The maximum amount available to each of the four communities is £30,000, but will be adjusted according to community response and to ensure a genuine competition can take place. The response to this competitive process will indicate the level of successful community engagement.

The project has been set up by Shropshire Council’s public health team to help motivate communities to come up with ideas and sustainable projects to improve physical activity within their locality.

Physical inactivity can pose serious health risks to the individual and is now one of the key health issues in the UK, responsible for one in six deaths and costing the country an estimated £7.4 billion a year. Those who aren’t active enough risk developing a series of conditions – depression, dementia, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer and more.

An Everybody Active Wem working group has been set up, the group are engaging and working with the local community to come up with ideas for projects. Groups and organisations in Wem will be invited to submit their projects to encourage physical activity, in particular amongst the less active communities. The projects can be targeted to any or all ages across the life course, from early years to later life.  Those successful projects will then go out to a public vote in the town.  The closing date for expressions of interest is 7 July 2016.

Councillor Phil Moyse, Chair, Everybody Active Everyday Wem working group, welcomed the news, saying:

“This is a great opportunity for Wem residents: if you’ve got an idea for a project that would encourage more people in the Wem area to be more active, then let us know. The projects can be targeted at one specific age group or appeal to everyone, from early years to later life.

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health and well-being, and Chair of Shropshire’s Health and Wellbeing Board, added:

“It is well documented that lack of physical activity is now a national epidemic and poses serious health risks to our local communities. Without action, the burden on health and social care will destabilise services and reduce the quality of life for individuals, their families and communities.

“As part of our ‘Year of Physical Activity’, Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board key objective is to raise the profile and benefits of physical activity across all sectors and communities.  As a result of this Shropshire Council’s public health has allocated one-off funding for physical activity as part of an innovative approach in addressing physical inactivity at a local community level.

“The Everybody Active Every Day community fund project is a great opportunity to engage and motivate residents to help take responsibility and ownership of their health and wellbeing. I really do encourage local communities in Wem to take on board this initiative and get involved.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the project can contact Sue Thomas, community enablement officer on 01939 237473 or email sue.j.thomas@shropshire.gov.uk.

You can also find out more about the project at http://www.healthyshropshire.co.uk/topics/physical-activity/everybody-active-towns-project/.

Further information

One of Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board ‘Year of Physical Activity’ objectives is to raise the profile and benefits of physical activity across all sectors and communities.

To support this, Shropshire Council’s public health has allocated one-off funding for physical activity as part of an innovative approach in addressing physical inactivity at a local community level.

This approach also supports the national Everybody Active, Every Day initiative, a  national framework for national and local action to address the physical inactivity epidemic in the UK, which is responsible for one in six deaths and costs the country an estimated £7.4 billion a year.

The public health fund will be used as part of a piloted community-based initiative, supported by the Everybody Active Every Day Community Project Team.