700 Club wins funding to help people on a low income become active

A pioneering project by 700 Club to help local people on a low income become more active and healthier has won backing from Sport England.

 The 700 Club, a charity that works with those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, has been awarded £10,000 funding as part of Sport England’s strategy to improve people’s health and mental well-being through sport and activity. 

Sport England is funding a wide range of projects around the country, using varying approaches to help people to feel healthier, happier, more confident and able to cope with life’s pressures, or more connected to their families and communities.

Sport England research shows that a third of people on low incomes are inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of exercise that gets them slightly out of breath each week. And inactivity in people on a low income is twice that of people on a high income.

Speaking of the funding, Dr John Elliston, CEO of the 700 Club stated, “The majority of the people that the 700 Club works with have made life choices that compromise their health and well-being. For those battling with addiction or some other vulnerability, the word ‘exercise’ is not part of the vocabulary. As an organisation, we recognize the significant role that participating in some kind of physical activity can play in rebuilding health and maximizing life chances. This grant will, in small ways, be life changing for people who are trying to get their lives back on track.

 A 700 Club client said, “Since accessing the walking group it has given me the motivation to go on my own walks and try to get fitter”

Sport England Executive Director, Mike Diaper, said: “The 700 Club has a strong track record of working with their local community and we’re very excited by how their project could make such a positive difference to people’s lives.

 “We know that people on a low income can face many pressures that make it difficult for them to be as active as they would like to be. So we’re working with community-focused organisations across the country to find ways to help people fit physical activity into their lives in ways that work for them.

“The lessons we learn from this local project will really help to shape our work with similar groups across the country.”