SHOW ME THE
MONEY
Activity providers are missing out on funding because they don’t know how to demonstrate the value of their services. Abigail Harris reports
T
he need for leisure operators to attract external funding has never been clearer, with councils warning the cut to the Local Government Association’s public health budget – from £3.38bn to £3.13bn between 2016/17 and 2020/21 – could hamper efforts to tackle obesity. But according to research by Leisurenet Solutions, providers are missing out on funding opportunities because they don’t understand how to demonstrate the strategic impact of their services. For the last 10 years, Leisure-net has been surveying local authorities to rate the efficiency and effectiveness of their leisure management partners – covering all aspects from service delivery and
communication to strategic issues such as unemployment and childhood obesity, as well as a Net Promoter Score (NPS). The research highlights that the focus among these providers is primarily on service delivery for those already using the facilities, with little conversation around the strategic needs of the wider community and how these can be delivered against. “Qualitative discussions around outcomes and impacts suggest many local authorities and their management partners don’t truly understand the issues involved,” says David Albutt, associate director of consulting for Leisure-net. “For the physical activity sector, the benefits of working with GP surgeries
BEYOND THE FUNDING… Operator: Active Nation Project: ActiveAbility Leisure trust Active Nation has been running ActiveAbility Southampton since October 2014, making sports and exercise accessible to disabled adults (14 years+) within Southampton and its surrounding areas. The three-year programme received £212,000 from Sport England’s Inclusive Sport Fund, for adaptive equipment and specialist training for key staff and volunteers. The trust has focused on sports not usually broadly accessible, and has created a disability sports forum for the city with key partners who helped develop the programme and spread the message. A bursary scheme to support people and organisations to get physically active – with grants of up to £50 to purchase equipment, trainers, help with transport, gym memberships and activities – has also helped remove potential financial barriers. The heavily subsidised weekly activity programme changes every eight weeks and includes sailing, skiing, 76
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and hospital departments should be selfevident, but even here not enough work is currently being done. “This is despite the fact that external funding is absolutely available if local needs are properly met. “Both leisure operators and their local authority counterparts need to understand local requirements so they can demonstrate to commissioners and grant issuers – such as health, education, police and employers – how the service they provide can contribute.” But some leisure providers have been able to successfully tap into new funding streams. We talk to a selection of those who have secured extra cash to launch innovative projects…
kayaking, swimming, badminton, cricket, rugby, Fit ’n’ Fun and FitSteps at partner facilities and Active Nation venues. “As the project has grown, we’ve introduced an outreach programme to bring the fun and action to schools, community rooms, churches and other venues, breaking down even more barriers,” says Stuart Martin, managing director of Active Nation. “In year one, we surpassed our 2,648 target with 4,059 attendances, and during year two we’ve already hit 10,000 – way over our Sport England target of 5,612 – with 1,002 participants registered. Feedback questionnaires help guide continual improvements and make the programme accessible to as many people as possible.” To ensure ActiveAbility can be sustained beyond three years, Active Nation has created a volunteering scheme in partnership with JoinIn.org.uk, Southampton Voluntary Services and the Southampton sports development team, supported with ‘in kind’ funding from the trust, Active Southampton and Way Ahead Day Services. Peter Hull MBE, the Paralympian triple gold medallist, has joined Active Nation as project assistant for ActiveAbility, recruiting participants and new supporting organisations, as well as shaping exit routes for participants to maintain their healthy lifestyles.