Sector Update - August 2024

The leisure centre sustainability challenge: setting the scene

London Following the launch of London Sport’s ‘Exploring the value of swimming and public pools’ in June 2023, this weekly series will focus on challenges and solutions to help sustain leisure centres, ensuring that we future-proof youth sport and physical activity.?

At the end of the four-week blog series, readers will be offered various calls to action – brought together by London Sport and London’s local authorities – for consideration to tackle the increasingly concerning issues. Read the first blog .

Run the TCS London Marathon 2025 to help Londoners become more active

Did you miss out on the ballot for the TCS London Marathon 2025? London Sport has a limited number of exclusive TCS London Marathon 2025 places available, and we’re looking for passionate runners to join us in raising vital funds for underserved communities across London. You’ll be supporting our mission to provide opportunities for everyone, regardless of background, to engage in physical activity. Together, we can make a difference and inspire positive change in our communities.

Spaces are limited, so don’t wait! Send your expression of interest to [email protected] and be part of something extraordinary.

London Sport visits Heathfield School

London Sport visited Heathfield Junior School to see the impact of the Opening Schools Facilities Fund. London Sport’s Head of Programmes, Gary Palmer was interviewed by Radio Jackie alongside project leaders from Heathfield Junior to discuss the school’s enhanced access to facilities for students, increasing participation in cricket for local youth and students, promoting community engagement and active living through the power of sport and physical activity.

London Sport joins partners at Path to Paris Reception

We're thrilled to have attended this month’s Path to Paris Reception at the Team GB Fanzone. It was a fantastic opportunity to network and hear inspiring stories from partners about getting young people active with the Path to Paris programme. This emphasises the importance of access to sport and physical activity, and the impact it can have on inspiring the next generation of athletes

Collaborate with us to support you on your digital journey

Are you a provider of sport and physical activity in London? Could you improve on your digital capabilities? If so, London Sport can help. Contact Indy Sahota, London Sport's Engagement Manager (Digital and Tech), to arrange an introduction meeting and help us understand where you are in your digital journey, where there’s opportunity for collaboration, and find out more about London Sport's digital projects. Express your interest here.

Nuffield Health and London Sport join forces to tackle London's gender movement gap

London Sport is proud to partner with Nuffield Health for the next 12-months to deliver Move Together classes in London-based communities facing the greatest levels of inactivity. Fun, accessible activity classes will be held across eight London schools initially, with the aim of supporting an additional 3,000 girls to access the Move Together programme. Read more about the partnership here .

What is Needed For Active Design: a Shift from Government?

Earlier this summer, London Sport hosted its first policy event to discuss policy solutions that both the Mayor of London and the Government should prioritise for healthier and more active cities. Reflecting on this, we've published a blog in collaboration with Andy Mytom (David Morley Architects) and Trevor Smith (Sportsmith Ltd) - who gave a fire-starter presentation at our event. Read the blog here .

Health

Almost 1.8 billion adults are at risk of disease due to a lack of exercise

Almost 1.8 billion adults are at risk of diseases such as cancer, stroke, dementia and diabetes due to a lack of exercise. This is the headline from a new study from World Health Organisation (WHO) researchers and academics who found that physical inactivity has risen globally by about five percentage points between 2010 and 2022.

Supporting healthier lives - the shift towards prevention

The Kings Fund will be holding an interesting event on 16 October. It'll explore the the importance of focusing on prevention to meet population needs, why prevention needs to be addressed now, examine the widening gap of health inequalities and life expectancies and how to create healthier communities at pace and more! For more information, please click here .

AI in health care: what do the public and NHS staff think?

The Health Foundation has recently shared the results of its recent consultation with the public and NHS staff into the use of AI within healthcare. On balance, the public and NHS staff were both broadly supportive, although around 1 in 6 members of the public and around 1 in 10 of the NHS staff thought that AI would make care quality worse.

Inclusion and Disability

Help support Visually Impaired People to travel around London!

'Travel Hands' is looking for volunteers! They're a charity that supports Visually Impaired People (VIPs) to travel around London by pairing them with sighted & verified volunteers to travel together. There are 43,000 VIPs in London struggling to live a quality life due to the daily challenges they face in travelling outdoors. You can volunteer flexibly anytime from 9 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week. To find out more about 'Travel Hands', volunteering and their new app, click here .

New guidance for accessible and inclusive facilities

Sport England has produced new guidance to help ensure sport and leisure facilities are safe, welcoming and accessible to all. Aimed at planners, architects, building owners and operators, our Accessible and inclusive sports facilities (AISF) guidance encourages the design of spaces that reduce or remove barriers to being more active.

British Blind Sport launches latest Impact Report

British Blind Sport has published its Impact Report 2023-24 to showcase the work that BBS has done and continues to do to create a world where blind and partially sighted people can have fair and equal access to sport and physical activity.

Children and Young People

Community Government support for grassroots football facilities

The UK government plans to support grassroots football and increase access to sports in schools, inspired by England's recent football successes. Initiatives include funding for community clubs, protecting PE time in the curriculum, and reducing the cost of school sports kits. Read more .

Super Movers Campaign for teachers

Explore the Super Movers campaign from BBC Teach in collaboration with Youth Sport Trust, they have created easy-to-follow activity cards to help you deliver inclusive, challenging, and fun PE and Paralympic sessions at your school. These resources are designed to engage students and promote physical activity in an enjoyable way.

All this, plus the latest from our commercial partners,?Decathlon,?Exergame, and?Play Innovation.

To read the full PDF Sector Update click here .