Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) is among the first group of over 40 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to receive funding from its new funding model. SASP has a foundational role in the sport and physical activity sector and is therefore well placed to help level up access to sport and physical activity across the country.

SASP will receive an investment of £554,300 of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England. SASP has been awarded long-term funding because it has committed to co-deliver change at a national and local level, to help more people enjoy the benefits of playing sport and being active.

All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence positive change and improvement throughout the sector, their own networks, and beyond. This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England's approach to long-term partnerships which will see it build new relationships with innovative organisations, as well with existing partners, local partners and delivery partners to further the Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.

Through this investment, SASP will focus on strong governance to lead on continuous improvement, have a focus on volunteering and employability for adults and young people, address the workforce issues Somerset has as part of the recovery from Covid and to re-energise the core market of sports clubs and leisure centres/trusts to deliver against the inequalities agenda, to name a few of its systemic goals.

Over £193 million is being invested for this first group, with the 43 partners including SASP receiving funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: "Sport England's Uniting the Movement strategy aims to help everyone play sport and get active– no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background. But we know that certain groups are more likely to be inactive and need targeted support and investment. We can only innovate and tackle these inequalities effectively with collective action, recognising that this is about long-term change. Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership is one of a huge number of partners we are looking to work with on exactly this over the coming years. They play a foundational role within the sport and physical activity sector and are therefore well-placed to create the conditions for change. They will also act as a resource for other innovative organisations with the same goals as we seek to create a more equal society with everyone benefitting from sport and physical activity."

Jane Knowles, CEO of SASP, said: "We are very grateful for this investment from Sport England and will focus on what matters most to people who move least in Somerset. We want to embed a system wide culture through health, employability, schools, voluntary and charitable sector and through insight led learning, collaboration and co-producing, we can do more to improve peoples lives across physical and mental health, using moving more as the key to unlocking potential".