Through Together Fund, Sport England and the National Lottery are providing community organisations with extra support to help local people get active.
County Durham Sport supported Blackhall Community Centre with their successful Together Fund application. This is their story.
Blackhall Community Centre is an active and ‘lifeline’ venue for many, offering a range of opportunities for its community members. Their Together Fund project, ‘Mates and Movement’, aimed to create a warm and welcoming environment, to help local people of any age to save money and stay active while having fun together.
We asked Blackhall Community Centre to reflect on how things have been going.
What’s been going well?
They have had people come to join the activities who they never expected to see. When the project first began, they had an idea of the type of people they would target; however, over the weeks and months that it continued, they enjoyed meeting a range of new people.
An attendee of the project said, “Amazing, I didn`t see Andrew doing badminton, but he really does love the sports and Jackie engaging with him and everyone is wonderful. I think my younger one would do it all day!!”
What’s been challenging?
Using the right terminology when promoting the activities without scaring people off was challenging for the centre.
What have you learned?
Leaders of the project have learned to lead by example and just get involved! Joining in can be a fantastic way to advertise an activity by showing real people taking part.
What should happen next/in future?
Based on this learning, Blackhall Community Centre believes in allowing people to be and not forcing anyone into physical activity. Sometimes, even just getting out and walking into a building is movement enough!
County Durham Sport is proud to be able to support organisations like Blackhall Community Centre to make a difference in the lives of County Durham communities. Join us in celebrating the amazing impact of this Sport England/National Lottery funding by sharing your story on social media with the hashtag #TogetherFund.
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