Warrington Borough Council has appointed The Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy (SLC) to prepare a five year sport and physical activity strategy that looks beyond traditional ideas of exercise to deliver improved outcomes for health and wellbeing. The strategy aims to make Warrington the most active borough in the North West by 2016 through offering high quality activities that local people want, close to where they live, work and study.
The strategy is being developed by a wide range of partners including the Borough Council, schools, colleges, the NHS, clubs and community groups. The same organisations will be directly involved with the delivery of the strategy. Initial proposals include a series of tournaments and festivals based in local communities, a school ‘Olympics’ and activities for young and old residents to enjoy together.
“This strategy is for the community of Warrington, not for the Council. So it’s vital that a wide range of partners are involved with its development and delivery,” said Lesley Brewin, Warrington Borough Council’s Head of Communities and Third Sector Partnerships. “It’s a big challenge as we are developing a new programme of sport and physical activity that will not only increase individual participation but also make a difference to communities.”
Marcus Kingwell, Associate Director of SLC, said, “It’s great to be continuing our relationship with Warrington. Duncan Wood-Allum worked with Lesley and her team on the Orford Park Community Sports Hub, and now I’m leading the development of the sport and physical activity strategy. Our approach is strong partner engagement to deliver projects people believe in while creating a direct line of sight to local and national ambitions.” Consultation on the draft strategy will commence in late summer and continue through the autumn 2011.
For further information, please contact, The Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy on 01444 459927 or email him at info@sportleisureculture.co.uk