City of Doncaster Council secures a further £2.768 million from Sport England to boost physical activity

City of Doncaster Council has a strong working relationship with Sport England and have been working closely since 2018, which has seen additional investment and accelerated progress towards reducing inactivity in Doncaster, most notably:

There are now over 12,600 more active adults since 2015-16 (an increase of approximately five per cent additional active adults in Doncaster’s adult population) with the rate of active adults narrowing the gap with the England average.

There are now over 8,100 more active children since 2017-18 (an increase of approximately 20 per cent active children in Doncaster’s population of children) with the rate currently exceeding the average for England.

Despite this progress, stubborn challenges remain. Almost a third of adults and a quarter of children in Doncaster are inactive. This additional funding will seek to address this challenge in a way that is sustainable long after funding ceases in March 2028.

Get Doncaster Moving was recently the focus of a national Sport England campaign, recognising Doncaster’s work as a leader in place-based working to reduce physical inactivity levels.

The additional investment will allow work to deepen in those communities in Doncaster most in need of support, for example, through Community Connectors to support residents to create sustainable solutions for their own communities to be more physically active.

The funding also enables the continuation of the Doncaster Future Parks programme, which is investing in 15 parks and green spaces across Doncaster to make community-led improvements to boost activities within parks and make physical improvements to create more welcoming spaces.

Funding will also be used to: further develop physical activity guidance and resources for patients with Primary Care Doncaster, continuation of Dance On pilots with darts for long term health conditions to further reduce health inequalities, support for schools, and development of policies that will influence how active environments are shaped for years to come.

Doncaster has a strong and growing network of partner organisations who work together to deliver Doncaster’s physical activity strategy (‘Get Doncaster Moving’) – this network includes sports clubs, community organisations, and health partners.

Funding will be utilised to further strengthen this network through a programme of leadership and development so that the network has the knowledge, skills and capabilities to advocate and influence physical activity within Doncaster to ensure continuation and sustainability of the work in the longer-term.

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones commented: “The Get Doncaster Moving Network has taken great strides forward already, with support from Sport England, to enable and encourage residents to be more physically active.

"We have seen a reduction in the number of inactive people in Doncaster during this time and increased the opportunities available to residents to enable them to enjoy a more active life - with all the additional benefits this brings to a person’s overall health and wellbeing.

“We welcome the opportunity to further this work in Doncaster, hand in hand with our network of partners who work collectively on our shared vision for Doncaster.

“We will continue to not only have a laser focus on increasing physical activity opportunities within Doncaster but will further support other places with similar challenges by continuing to share our learning nationally through the Sport England network.”

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director of Place, Sport England commented: “This is place-based working in action – changing lives through sport and physical activity, driven by, and for, the community. Working with Get Doncaster Moving, we are changing policies, shifting resources, partnering right across the system to create more opportunities for people to lead active and healthier lives.

"Local communities in Doncaster are at the very heart of this change – you can feel their buy in to the value of sport and physical activity. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings for Get Doncaster Moving and the people of Doncaster.”

The investment plan has been developed using in-depth information and insight gathered from several sources – including extensive research with communities and stakeholders across a number of organisations.

You can find more information about Get Doncaster Moving on their website: https://getdoncastermoving.org/