Driving physical activity in Tameside
In Tameside I'm building a £140k wellbeing centre. I'm strapped for capital but the politicians are socialised into the agenda, and we've just had a £6m refresh for physical activity. We are [enabling] two parkruns, improving footpaths and all of that.
It's the GM Moving narrative that drives this. I've embedded it, and I can bend investment plans to physical activity - which before would have been below street lighting as a priority.
I can aim for communities who aren’t active at all. I talk to headteachers about The Daily Mile. I spoke to a GP who's a parkrun practice. That's not about money - we should change the behaviours and assumptions within the whole £6bn budget.
None of that relates to the £1m LDP money or whatever I'm going to receive. We should get sport out of the box it was in 10 years ago".
"Despite some of these contradictions and challenges, our funders are absolutely part of the journey. They have worked hard on our behalf and their support, challenge and partnership is a vital component of what we are doing together. We’re on the same journey".
The vision was clear: to create a sports day where VI children could compete on equal terms, where the experience was designed specifically for them "not as an accommodation, but as the main event".
Leading from the Balcony, by GM Moving CEO Hayley Lever, is available now with all proceeds supporting our future work in Greater Manchester.
Life Leisure is getting behind Let’s Lift the Curfew, a national movement from This Girl Can, by hosting 5k run clubs around Stockport between November and March.