Sport should be seen as a vital key to any renewal and regeneration strategy. When delivered through a social enterprise the benefits cannot only be maximised but also maintained for the long-term.
Renewal and regeneration activities such as capital investments in facilities (swimming pools, community halls etc), coach and sports leader training, creation of new opportunities for participation and mentoring can contribute positively to:
- Physical and mental health
- Community safety and cohesion
- Academic performance and skills
- Worklessness and employment
- The environment and community infrastructure
(From ?Sport, Physical Activity and Renewal?, renewal.net ? Download paper
here)
These are very strong arguments you can use to try to secure certain renewal based funding such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF). This is a fund, which is administered by the governments Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) that is part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
The NRU has identified 88 local authority (LA) areas that receive particular funding including NRF. In the East Midlands these are:
1. Ashfield -
www.ashfield.gov.uk
2. Bolsover -
www.bolsover.gov.uk
3. Derby -
www.derby.gov.uk
4. Leicester -
www.leicester.gov.uk
5. Lincoln -
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk
6. Mansfield -
www.mansfield.gov.uk
7. Nottingham -
www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Information on NRF and other NRU Programmes can be found here
Renewal.net ? an online resource
The renewal.net website also contains a sport toolkit which is a very useful resource. It provides information on the role of sport, physical activity in renewal, as well as the contribution of sport in community safety, educational attainment and the reduction of worklessness. It also provides many practical case studies that could be used to model some of your activities on.
The renewal.net website can be viewed here: www.renewal.net
Reports
1) A useful report worth reviewing is, ?Research report 9 ? Joint working in Sport and neighbourhood renewal? (Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, 2004). The report makes the link between sport and regeneration and sets out the ?policy context? ? where the government, national regional and local sports and regeneration structures come in.
It identifies key barriers (which you probably have experienced) and provides a useful ?Who?s who? in terms of how the world of grass roots sports and regeneration structures are funded. Furthermore, funders are identified, as are key decision-makers who could be identified in joint working.
Here is a table of the Personal, Social, Economic, Environmental and National Benefits of sports participation.
2) The next research report was undertaken by the Scottish Executive Central Research Unit and sportscotland. It is titled, ?The Role of Sport in Regenerating Deprived Areas? (2000). Here is the introduction to the 10 page Executive Summary,
The Scottish Office Development Department in collaboration with sportscotland commissioned the Centre for Leisure Research to undertake a study to explore the role which sport has played in the regeneration of urban areas in Scotland and to explore wider evidence for the assumption that sport can contribute positively to aspects of urban regeneration and social inclusion.
The research was commissioned within the context of the publication of the Scottish Office?s Social Inclusion Strategy and the view that sport has a role to play in countering social exclusion, by increasing individuals? self-esteem, building community spirit, increasing social interaction, improving health and fitness, creating employment and reduce the temptation to anti-social behaviour by giving young people a purposeful activity.
Key findings included a positive impact on the role of sport on health, reduction of crime, improved education and training, community development and increased volunteering opportunities.
You download a copy of the report here
This section of the Sports Kitbag is designed to ?arm? you with information, case studies and practical examples that you can adopt as part of your activities. It is set in the context of renewal and regeneration and should provide you with the evidence to support your activities.
This section should also help to identify certain area based funding through New Deal for Communities (NDC) or the NRF. This funding can be used to deliver programmes of activities that could generate income for your club or sports association. This will enable you to operate as a social enterprise and to enable you to become sustainable, hopefully after the funding programme has ceased.