Wandsworth Council has committed to a £1m investment fund to provide sustainable leisure activities in its bid to become London’s most active borough.
Free swimming to all children who receive free school meals is just one of the many schemes in the Council’s ‘Wandsworth Moves Together’ plan, a new five year strategy aimed at encouraging more people to become active.
The scheme aims to provide accessible, high-quality physical and leisure activities to members of the community.
Cabinet Member for Environment Judi Gasser told Wandsworth Council: “We’ve listened to residents and will continue to listen so that no one feels they can’t join.”
According to Wandsworth leisure centre 50,000 bookings have already been made for leisure facilities since the announcement and that number is expected to grow.
The investments will help open new gyms, parks, leisure centres and swimming pools as well as physical activity programmes on council estates.
Another of the projects main ambition is to partner with residents on Alton Estate in order to identify the specific needs of the community.
Figures in Access For All, a survey from Wandsworth council, have shown that although the borough is more physically active in comparison to national statistical levels, women, minority ethic groups and older people are much less likely to be active.
Furthermore, Access For All added that one in three children do not receive the recommended levels of activity.
To ensure this improves there will be a specially dedicated task force which will focus on women and girls in sports, and aims to encourage a stronger female presence within sports and exercise.
Gasser said: “We’ve worked hard to come up with a strategy that works to remove the barriers people might have.”
The pilot study will tackle these issues and hope to explore better ways to improve activity levels in Wandsworth.
More information about the strategy and action plan will be available at Wandsworth’s London Borough Council website.
Featured image credit: Wandsworth Council
