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Community Games nets nearly £1m

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A national Olympic and Paralympic Games legacy programme, Community Games, will continue in 2013 after being given nearly a £1 million cash boost – Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd has revealed.

Community Games, a programme designed to stimulate community-based sporting and cultural events in celebration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has today announced it has received funding from the Social Action Fund of £996,172.

Community Games, which are delivered by the YMCA and the County Sport Partnership Network, saw more than 1,600 events take place across the country in 2012, engaging more than one million people and a staggering 36,847 volunteers.

Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:

“Community Games bring people together who have been inspired by London 2012 so that they can play sport in their home town.

“We are giving them extra funding from our Social Action Fund so that this year even more local sporting opportunities can take place, giving a boost to community life.”

Lee Mason, Chief Executive of the County Sports Partnership Network (CSPN), said that he is delighted the CSPN and the YMCA are continuing to support the programme.

He said:

“I have been impressed by the way in which Community Games has engaged with communities across the country.

I have seen first hand the impact this has had in local communities and it has been a great way for people to engage in sport in a fun and interactive way.”

Independent research found that 50.6% of people that took part in Community Games in 2012 said the events had inspired them to take up sport, while 74.6% of participants reported taking part in a sporting activity at a Community Games event.

“We hope that many people across England will step forward and run Community Games in their local community this year,” added Mr Mason.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Community Games:

  • The Community Games programme was launched in the West Midlands in 2009 and was originally funded for three years by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
  • Last year 1,648 Community Games took place involving more than one million participants and 36,847 volunteers.
  • Community Games is inspired by the Wenlock Olympian Games founded by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850 and still held annually in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. The Wenlock Olympian Games were the inspiration behind the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games when Baron Pierre du Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement, visited the games in 1890. The Community Games programme pays homage to a community event that inspired a global event, and now uses that global event to inspire a new raft of community events.

The YMCA:

  • Founded 168 years ago, the YMCA in England is made up of 121 member YMCAs working to ensure that young people have opportunities to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.
  • YMCA operates in over 530 different communities in England impacting upon the lives of over 500,000 people every year.
  • Every night YMCAs provide over 9,000 beds for young people. The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of safe, supported accommodation for single men and women aged between 16-30 years old.
  • The YMCA enables nearly 24,000 people every year to engage in education, skills and training to enable them to improve their opportunities in the job market.
  • The YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of health and wellbeing services promoting physical activity.
  • For further information please visit http://www.ymca.org.uk

The County Sports Partnership Network (CSPN):

  • The County Sports Partnership Network brings together 49 County Sports Partnerships from across England, and is responsible for supporting the delivery of national sports policy at a local level by shaping it to the needs of local communities.
  • The CSPN contributes to the health of the nation by helping local people lead healthier, active livesThe CSPN brings together the knowledge and expertise of a range of local delivery partners – including local authorities, clubs and schools – which enables it to use resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver sport in local communities.
  • The CSPN brings together the knowledge and expertise of a range of local delivery partners – including local authorities, clubs and schools – which enables it to use resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver sport in local communities.

Donna Roddy, Citydesk Sport, on behalf of Community Games.

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