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SPORTA REPORT


REMOVING BARRIERS


Continuing our series showcasing projects being run by sporta members across the country, Abigail Harris takes a look at three life-changing programmes designed to remove barriers to exercise in the London boroughs


RESIDENTS GIVE FITNESS A GO


ORGANISATIONS Jubilee Hall Trust, GLL and Central YMCA


PROJECT Give it a Go


ubilee Hall Trust, GLL and Central YMCA partnered with the London Borough of Camden, NHS North Central London and NHS London to launch ‘Give it a Go’ (GIAG)


in 2009/2010, funding four months’ free access to local leisure centres for Camden residents in receipt of benefits. The London Borough of Camden is


the 13th most deprived borough within London; eight of Camden’s ‘Lower Super Output Areas’ (LSOAs) are in the 10 per cent most deprived in England. GIAG was introduced to tackle inequalities and remove cost as a barrier to physical activity participation, after the Camden Sport and Physical Activity Needs Assessment Report 2009 demonstrated an unequivocal need to increase physical activity levels in the area: 44 per cent of respondents had not participated for 30 minutes in the previous three months. Give It A Go’s third phase, which


finished in May this year, saw 725 local people attend an induction at their specified leisure centre. Twenty per cent of those registering had a disability of some kind, and while the largest ethnic group was ‘white British’ (32 per cent), a further 16 ethnic groups were represented. In addition, 65 per cent of those initially registered for the scheme were female – 14 per cent higher than the Census figures for the area. Activities on offer were not limited to the leisure centres themselves, with


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Participants must attend five sessions a month to receive a further free month’s membership


a green gym, cardiac rehabilitation, a community physical activity programme and cycling schemes also included. The programme, which focused


on behaviour change, incentivised participants to exercise a minimum of five times a month in order to receive a further free month’s membership. Fitness instructors hosting the inductions and subsequent training sessions were given training in motivational interviewing, while texts, email alerts and monthly incentives were also used to encourage exercise adherence among participants. Around a third of those attending


a first induction exercised for four consecutive months to complete the scheme, and of those, 44 per cent said they had joined their leisure centre.


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


Across all participants who completed the four months, there was a combined increase of 101 hours’ more vigorous activity, 171 hours’ more moderate activity and 283 hours’ walking. “Give it a Go has really helped me


at all levels – not just physical, but also mental and emotional,” says one participant. “Using the gym has made me physically stronger, which is helpful when carrying heavy shopping bags or running up the escalators in the tube. I’m also more flexible and healthy. “I’m sure it’s increased my confidence


too. My stress levels have lowered thanks to both the gym and the yoga classes. I didn’t know Give it a Go would have such an impact on my wellbeing. Being strong in your body also makes you strong in your mind.”


November/December 2013 © Cybertrek 2013


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