OLDHAM COMMUNITY Leisure (OCL) is set to help more local people get into sport thanks to £50,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund.
The money will be used for OCL’s new Oldham Sport Active Project, which will focus on encouraging local people from deprived areas who are aged 14 and over to get involved in sporting activities.
The project will build on the success of OCL’s previous project, Energize, which began in 2011 and enriched the lives of almost 2,500 young people and families around the borough of Oldham in the year it was running. Energize encouraged locals to take up activities as diverse as climbing, trampolining, boxing and basketball.
OCL’s Oldham Sport Active is among 36 projects to receive a share of £5.9 million of National Lottery funding to support grassroots sport activity across the country. Additional funding has been provided by Community 1st Oldham and
the project will be working alongside Oldham Athletic Community Trust and Oldham College.
A host of sporting activities will be on offer across Oldham as part of the project throughout 2014, including mountain biking, walking, climbing, running, swimming and diving, dance (Zumba classes), rounders, badminton and football. Participants will be able to join in for £1 a session, and will receive a free Oldham Active card. The project activities will be available to both individuals and local community groups including the scouts and Oldham College attendees.
Stuart Lockwood, Chief Executive at OCL, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received Sport England funding, which allows us to reach out to even more people and really get the local community involved in sport. We are committed to encouraging everyone in Oldham to make the most of the varied facilities we have on offer.”
The Community Sport Activation Fund allows local authorities and charities to apply for funding for innovative projects that will get more people playing sport. Mike Diaper, Sport England Director of Community Sport, said: “It’s great to be working with innovative projects like Oldham Sport Active to offer people the chance to get into sport in a way that best suits them.”
Neil Charlesworth, Director of Community 1st Oldham, said: “We are delighted to continue our support of healthy living in Oldham. We have been working in the area for nine years delivering modern health and community facilities, and we believe strongly in engaging with the local communities in which these facilities are located.
“We are proud to support the Oldham Sport Active project, helping our local partners to deliver activities that will bring young people and communities together to have fun, and get fit and healthy.”
Anyone interested in participating in The Oldham Sport Active Project will find a full list of activities at www.oclactive.co.uk
