Jog on - Derbyshire council chiefs to spend £1m on getting us exercising

More than a million pounds is set to be spent on exercise programmes for children, the elderly, and inactive.
Funding aims to help more Derbyshire people get active and stay healthyFunding aims to help more Derbyshire people get active and stay healthy
Funding aims to help more Derbyshire people get active and stay healthy

The county council is set to dish out grant funding for several exercise schemes  in a bid to tackle a physical inactivity – a “global public health problem”, according to its officers.

 Figures published in a report for Derbyshire County Council’s Tory-led cabinet show that more than a quarter of residents in Bolsover and Amber Valley are classed as inactive, 26.5 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

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Residents who are doing less than 30 minutes of activity a week fall into this category – the average across Derbyshire is that 20 per cent – one in five – people fall into this class.

The county council is seeking to spend the funding to try to “enable Derbyshire residents to live physically active lives”.

In total, £1.035 million is to be handed out in grants over the next two years to fund exercise ventures across Derbyshire, largely run by the district and borough councils.

This breaks down as £550,000 in 2018 and £485,000 in 2019.

The Jog Derbyshire programme will receive £100,000 over the next two years – run by the Community Sports Trust.

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It aims to get more people to stay active by jogging and currently runs 137 sessions each week and has more than 6,500 members.

As it stands, this programme is for adults only but it aims to expand this to children and young people.

The District and Borough Council Physical Activity Funding is split up into four categories.

Exercise Referral is a 12-week programme for inactive adults with health conditions, such as those recovering from a heart attack.

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Walk Derbyshire is a network of walks that help to support people wanting to lead a more active lifestyle – the funding boost will increase this to family-friendly walking routes.

The Community Innovation Fund aims to create physical activity programmes for those in vulnerable populations.

Finally, the Looked After Children project seeks to get children who are under the council’s care and with foster families to get involved in physical activity – it includes leisure centre access.

The scheme is a priority area for the county council, which sees exercise as a key way to support these children and help them to develop skills and confidence.

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In the first year of funding, the four projects overseen by the district and borough councils will be divided up as follows.

Amber Valley, £76,034; Bolsover, £65,989; Chesterfield, £95,099; Derbyshire Dales, £32,060; Erewash, £78, 026; High Peak, £51,790; North East Derbyshire, £53,792; and South Derbyshire, £47,210.

The county council cabinet will meet on Thursday, June 14 to sign off on the funding.

Picture:

Derbyshire County Council HQ – Picture by Eddie Bisknell

Eddie Bisknell , Local Democracy Reporting Service