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Belfast communities receive half a million from Active Belfast

 

Belfast communities receive half a million from Active Belfast

The Belfast Strategic Partnership (BSP) Active Belfast team has awarded nearly half a million pounds to local community projects to address health inequalities.

Programmes in physical activity and nutrition will benefit from the funding boost, including Active Belfast’s successful ‘Jog Belfast’ scheme, which to date has had more than 2,000 participants get active.

Speaking at a recent Network Partnership and Knowledge Exchange Day, Séamus Mullen, the Public Health Agency’s Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement and Active Belfast Chair, said: “The Active Belfast Grants Scheme was set up to develop a community based approach to addressing some of the public health issues our society faces.

“In our society there are a significant number of adults who are inactive and in Belfast 48% of adults undertake no physical activity in a typical week; so these programmes are vital in helping to promote a better approach to health and wellbeing and encourage people to be more active and healthier.”

The Network Partnership and Knowledge Exchange Day brought together organisations awarded Active Belfast grants and explored improved ways of working and encouraging better connectivity. This year £180,000 was awarded to organisations to deliver a programme under the themes of cycling and neighbourhoods for Active Belfast Grants Schemes.

Also speaking at the Active Belfast Networking Day, Kim Kensett, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Senior Officer at Active Belfast encouraged everyone to work together to achieve the best outcomes for Belfast citizens: “The challenge for us all today is to consider how we can continue to be innovative; work together and involve people to be more active and healthier.

“Everyone deserves the best health possible and we can help them achieve that by providing the right opportunities and support.

The Active Belfast Grants Scheme is a significant opportunity to get more people, more active, more often. I encourage organisations from the community, voluntary, statutory and private sectors to apply for the next round of funding for their community.”

ENDS

Further information

For further information on Active Belfast contact the

Active Belfast team by email:activebelfast@bhdu.org or telephone 028 9050 2073 or visit: www.makinglifebettertogether.com

 

PHOTO CAPTION:

Pictured (L-R) is Kim Kensett, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Senior Officer at Active Belfast; Séamus Mullen, Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement at the Public Health Agency and Active Belfast Chair with Gerard Rice from Inner South Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership, who received £10,000 funding under the Active Belfast Grants Scheme for a neighbourhood project in South Belfast, which includes a multi-cultural sports camp- bringing young people into sport and an ‘older and active’ programme – getting older people in the South Belfast community more active

Notes to Editors:

  1. Active Belfast is a wide ranging and innovative programme of work to improve the activity levels, health and quality of life for all residents of Belfast, regardless of their age, gender, culture or ability.
  2. The Active Belfast Grants Scheme is jointly funded by the Public Health Agency and Belfast City Council. This year, £180,000 has been awarded to Belfast organisations covering the theme of neighbourhoods and cycling.
  4. The South Belfast Project (see photo; Inner South Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership) will offer 180 hours of physical activity to up to 400 individuals; providing 42 weeks of physical activity for under-represented groups.
  6. A Belfast Residents’ Survey on physical activity participation, carried out in late 2014, found 48% of Belfast adults undertake no physical activity in a typical week. The Chief Medical Officer’s Physical Activity Guidelines state that adults should do at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day or 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
  8. The Belfast Strategic Partnership has been set up to address life inequalities. It is a multi-sectoral partnership with Belfast City Council, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Public Health Agency, statutory organisations, the private sector as well as community and voluntary agencies. For more information visit: www.makinglifebettertogether.com

 



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