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£200k of National Lottery funding to be invested across London to address inequalities exacerbated by covid-19 pandemic

A total of £200k of National Lottery funding distributed by Sport England will be invested in projects working in eight London boroughs to help ensure vulnerable Londoners can safely access sport and exercise opportunities as the capital continues to reopen following the covid-19 lockdown.

The investment into London is part of a wider £20m national Sport England fund made possible by the National Lottery, which is playing a critical role in supporting people, projects and communities throughout the UK during the covid-19 crisis. The Tackling Inequalities Fund forms part of Sport England's £210m support package to help the sport and physical activity sector through the covid-19 crisis, and has been created in an effort to reduce the negative impacton activity levels among under-represented groups.

The £200k of London-based funding, which will be led by London Sport, will be made available to community-focused organisations working across eight London boroughs that demonstrate higher levels of inequality and physical inactivity. 

Projects that will be backed by this investment will focus on supporting people that are most at risk of inactivity due to the impact of covid-19 and will specifically look to support deaf and disabled people, those with long-term health conditions, older adults, people from lower socio-economic groups, and Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

A number of small grants will be offered to groups working in communities, with projects also receiving support and guidance from London Sport throughout the term of the programme.

Research conducted by Sport England since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak has shown a disproportionate impact on the physical activity levels of certain communities, highlighting the importance of addressing some of the most acute impacts through a targeted programme of investment.

Mark Foster, London Sport Director of Operations, said:

"If we are serious about supporting communities in the recovery from covid-19, choosing to target inequalities in physical activity participation is one of the most important decisions we can make. While these inequalities are often long-standing and deep-seated, the impacts of covid-19 have thrown them into sharp relief making it more important than ever that we act swiftly.

“This new investment from Sport England will play an important role in helping vulnerable people across London to build up their physical and mental wellbeing in ways that we hope will prove sustainable for the long-term.” 

Findings from the funded projects will be collated by London Sport with a view to informing longer-term decisions on tackling inequalities in physical activity in sport. 

Further tranches of the funding will be used to facilitate dedicated projects targeting disadvantaged children and young people across London and deaf and disabled Londoners in a number of boroughs.

The eight Local Authority areas identified for this investment are:

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Bexley
  • Harrow
  • Hillingdon
  • Islington
  • Kensington & Chelsea
  • Lewisham
  • Newham

For more information on the Sport England Tackling Inequalities Fund in London, visit https://londonsport.org/our-work/increasing-activity/tackling-inequalities-fund/

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  • Health, Health Care, Pharmaceuticals

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  • Greater London

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