Great Yarmouth Sports Partnership Helping to get the Nation Fit
PR 131
8 February 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Yarmouth Sports Partnership (GYSP) is such a resounding success that it is in the process of sharing its secrets as part of a national evaluation project to help set up sports networks throughout the country.
The Partnership is organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s Community Services Section Head Marie Hartley, who works closely with Community Chair Jim West and organisations as diverse as Great Yarmouth Disability Forum and Cliff Park Specialist Sports College.
GYSP was formed in 2002 to bring external funding into the Borough to support community sports development, and to use sport as a positive tool to address wider social issues such as health, community regeneration, crime diversion, education and learning, diversity and inclusion.
Successful bids, amounting to more than half a million pounds, have seen the creation of the Positive Futures Programme (£95,000), Sport Aid (£25,000), the Active England Programme (£150,000) and the Local Exercise Action Pilot - known as LEAP with £200,000.
Projects to-date include a Positive Futures initiative, run through NACRO, to help young people at risk of exclusion from school gain skills which could lead to a career in sports and leisure; and also LEAP which sees Great Yarmouth as one of 10 pilot projects in the country looking at weight management, exercise through walking (including signposting routes), and community outreach projects such as exercise classes for Tai Chi, Pilates and Aerobics.
Its success was acknowledged last year when The Minister for Sport Rt Hon Richard Caborn visited Great Yarmouth to see first hand the range of sports and activities on offer.
At the end of last year The Sport Partnership was invited to address the Regional Community Sports Network conference in Cambridge, where bodies throughout Eastern England were looking at setting up similar organisations.
The conference led to the latest accolade, as Sport England East is asking the Borough to participate in a national evaluation project to discover how its partnership was formed and how it works. It is the only local authority in Norfolk to be asked to take part.
“Sport England is in the process of putting together examples of good practice to help other partnerships form, by speaking to established and fledgling groups through the country,” said Marie.
“Great Yarmouth has been acknowledged as having a good partnership that has achieved a great deal. We have been chosen because some years ago we could see the potential of working as a partnership - which put us ahead of the game.”
This has led to the latest fact-finding exercise. It began on January 23 with a visit to the town by Guildford, Surrey, consultants PMP.
It saw interviews with Marie, Jim, John White representing the Federation of Eastern Sport and Paul Bryce, LEAP Co-ordinator from the Primary Care Trust.
“We were asked the history of the project, how and why it was set up, and what we feel needs improving,” explained Jim. “They were keen to learn how interrelationships between the key partners work.
“The Borough is lucky as it has a long-term working relationship with many of the organisations involved, including the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) which is represented on the board.
“The LSP has been invaluable in opening doors ands helping us to develop sport as a means to improving the well-being of people in the Borough, and using it as an aid to help bodies involved in crime reduction.”
LSPs are non-statutory multi-agency bodies which bring together local organisations in the private, public, community and voluntary sectors. Their role is to tackle issues which require a range of responses from different bodies.
”Over the next few weeks more visits and telephone visits from PMP will follow,” added Marie. “They will involve more of the partners - which include the Great Yarmouth Sports Council, Norfolk Sports Alliance, NACRO, Great Yarmouth Youth Offending Team, Norfolk Constabulary, Marina Leisure Centre and East Norfolk School Sports Partnership.”
A report is to be compiled by PMP by the end of March, which will then be submitted to Sport England.
For further information call Community Services Section Head Marie Hartley, on 01493 846354 or 07760 166308.Picture captions: Active England Community Sports Co-ordinator Marten Payne power kiting, one of the activities the Great Yarmouth Sports Partnership has brought to the Borough.
Issued by:
Liz Dann
Press Officer
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
01493 846513