Happy Christmas for SIPS - sportscotland awards reach £1m for Social Inclusion Partnership projects
Tuesday 24 December 2002
The sportscotland Lottery Fund's newest programme, Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs), awards today total over £1M with the announcement of funding for another 15 projects in Scotland's most deprived areas. The Christmas Eve awards include the announcement of £124,998 to Glasgow City Council to support the Greater Easterhouse SIP Sports Programme and £113,000 for East Ayrshire Council's New Sporting Futures initiative, which is part of the East Ayrshire Coalfield Area SIP.
"Poverty remains a major barrier to participation in sport and physical activity"
The SIPs programme specifically targets social inclusion through funding for enhanced sporting opportunities helping communities develop themselves through sport, physical recreation and healthy lifestyle activities.
A key objective of the SIPs programme is empowering communities to help themselves through allocating funds for groups to establish and sustain their own projects or encouraging the development of voluntary and other community organisations. In addition to SIPs themselves, applicants can include local authorities, health boards, leisure trusts, sports clubs in SIP areas, local voluntary or community associations and community business or commercial organisations delivering a project for the benefit of the community.
The Greater Easterhouse SIP Sports Programme will adopt a new approach to delivering locally-based sports programmes through a strong working partnership between Glasgow City Council's Cultural and Leisure Services, Greater Easterhouse Social Inclusion Partnership and a number of active voluntary sector agencies based in Easterhouse.
The programme will include high quality coaching in basketball, volleyball, badminton, golf and football; an aerobics programme for teenage girls; creation of multi-sports clubs aimed at Primary 6/7 and a fitness programme for long-term unemployed men and lone parents.
Councillor Jim Coleman, Chair, Greater Easterhouse Partnership, said: "We are extremely grateful for this show of support and delighted that the sportscotland Lottery Fund has yet again recognised the good work being carried out by Greater Easterhouse Partnership. This substantial award complements the major investment into sports activities that is already happening in the area which is being driven by Greater Easterhouse Partnership."
East Ayrshire's New Sporting Futures initiative will focus primarily upon the development of sport and active recreation, and the promotion of healthy lifestyle choices among the general population of young people, from 10-18 years old, in East Ayrshire.
The programme will have a particular emphasis on creating more equitable participation in sport among specific target groups such as young people at risk of offending or teenage girls, and will seek to develop effective ways to create sustainable sporting infrastructures, especially in areas of economic and social deprivation.
Councillor William Menzies, Chair of East Ayrshire Coalfield Area Social Inclusion Partnership, said: " The New Sporting Futures project will provide a range of opportunities, based on local need within the Coalfield Area, which will develop new ways of delivering sport; promote a community development approach to delivering sport and promote "sport and physical activity" in assisting to combat social exclusion. In addition, the project will create employment opportunities within the Coalfield Area and Youth Sport Officers will be appointed and managed by Recreation Services. We are delighted with the award from the sportscotland Lottery Fund."
Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland, said: "Poverty remains a major barrier to participation in sport and physical activity for a significant number of people living in areas of deprivation, both urban and rural. It appears the gap between those who can afford to take part and those who cannot is widening and this is something sportscotland hopes to address with the SIPs programme.
"Sport makes an invaluable contribution to our lives, and no community should be denied the chance to find this out for itself. We want to continue to widen sporting opportunities through working in strategic partnerships. We are delighted to see all these awards announced at Christmas and we look forward to seeing the successful continuation of the programme in 2003."
A full list of the awards announced today follows.
- Eligible organisations may apply for one award towards a single project or for several awards for separate, stand-alone projects. The minimum cost of a project is £5,550 and the minimum award is £5,000 in the absence of other external funds.
- In common with other sportscotland Lottery programmes, the SIPs Programme is application based. The programme has an application period of three years from February 2002 to December 2004 and an implementation period of five years through to December 2006.
- Under the SIPs Programme, every application has to include a level of support from at least one other source. Applicants will need to provide partnership funding of not less than 10% of eligible cost, in cash on in kind.
- Application forms and guidelines are available online at www.sportscotland.org.uk
sportscotland Lottery Fund - December 2002
Social Inclusion Partnership Programme
Glasgow City Council
Project Title Greater Easterhouse SIP Sports Programme
Award £124,998
Award will enable the appointment of a community sports officer to deliver a quality integrated sports programme, aimed at increasing participation and frequency of participation of people in the SIP area. Also aims to encourage volunteers into sport and develop coaches and leaders.
East Ayrshire Council
Project Title New Sporting Futures, East Ayrshire Coalfield Area SIP
Award £113,000
New Sporting Futures will focus primarily upon the development of sport and active recreation, and the promotion of healthy lifestyle choices among the general population of young people (age 10 - 18 years) in East Ayrshire.
Glasgow City Council
Project Title Castlemilk SIP
Award £63,120
This initiative is designed to increase physical activity within the SIP area through a community based fitness programme. The target groups are older people, people with disabilities, pre-5 years and primary children.
Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council
Project Title Sports Activity Programme, Fife SIP
Award £38,826
Contact for Press Gordon Johnston, Convener Sports Development Committee
This is a three year programme, promoting athletics, hockey and tennis for school children within Dunfermline. It will deliver increase coaching and training opportunities for school children as well as coach education and leadership training for adults.
Stirling Council
Project Title Sportstart Coordinator, Stirling SIP
Award £21,000
This award will be used to appoint a part time coordinator to develop physical activity, exercise and sport to adults, the elderly and excluded young people within the SIP are.
Go Project/Perth & Kinross SIP
Project Title Go Project
Award £9,358
This is a fitness initiative to provide opportunities for young people leaving care to participate in sports and physical and provide them with access to facilities to do so.
Kilwinning Sports Club
Project Title Development worker, North Ayrshire SIP
Award £48,000
The award will be used to employ a development worker and a facilitator to work with the organizing committee to establish long term policies of training local residents and club members in coaching and other volunteer effort and increase membership and participation.
Edinburgh Leisure
Project Title Edinburgh Youth Coach Training and Development
Award £87,840
Coach training and development programmes leading to employment opportunities for young people and youth workers in the Edinburgh area. Training will be designed to offer young people communication, organizational expenditure, and specialist qualifications to lead, assist or coach physical activity sessions in the city.
Southside & Oldtown Sports Association
Project Title Edinburgh Strategic Programme
Award £40,000
Award will be used to employ a sports development worker for one year to deliver sports programmes to 5-21 year olds currently excluded from participation in this area. The programme also includes equipment costs and access to sports facilities.
Argyll & Bute Council
Project Title Various projects
Award £16,000
Funding for a number of projects aimed at improving access and increasing participation in sport and physical recreation among pre-fives to 18 year olds.
Rosehall High School, South Coatbridge SIP
Project Title Community Rugby Development
Award £13,687
Expansion of an existing healthy lifestyle programme involving encouraging local primary and secondary schools to participate in rugby. Also offers coaching and training to leaders.
Xplore - Dundee
Project Title Xploring Sport
Award £10,000
Project will provide a wide variety of sporting opportunities to young people previously excluded in the SIP, such as providing 'taster' sessions of various sports.
Levern Valley Partnership
Project Title Physical Activity Development Officer
Award £12,000
Appointment of a development officer to improve access to sporting opportunities and increase participation in physical recreation, initially targeting 11-18 year olds.
Blantyre & North Hamilton
Project Title Junior Up for It Project
Award £97,320
Award will further develop a pilot project by employing a development worker with a remit to increase participation of young people in sport and physical activity.
Drumchapel L.I.F.E.
Project Title Outdoor Activity Programme
Award £68,000
Employ a development worker to co-ordinate a healthy lifestyles project, specifically providing opportunities for primary school children to participate in outdoor activities such as orienteering to involve them in sports sport and physical activity at an early age. Programme involves teachers and parents in developing and delivering programmes for children and encouraging volunteers.