A new framework to help create, promote and enhance opportunities for people to access sport and physical activity in Angus has been launched.
The Sport and Physical Activity Framework which has been developed by a range of community planning partners and voluntary and statutory sectors, is based on the Scottish Government’s Active Scotland Outcomes.
It aims to help build a healthier, resilient and more prosperous community and ensure Angus is a place where an active life is accessible for all.
The framework will underpin the work of the Angus Sport and Physical Activity Planning Partnership, a collaboration between ANGUSalive, Angus Council, NHS Tayside, sportscotland, Dundee and Angus College and third sector agencies. It demonstrates a commitment to work collaboratively to achieve agreed outcomes and brings a level of accountability amongst the key stakeholders.
The creation of the local outcomes and potential solutions outlined in the framework were gleaned from a survey carried out with Angus residents asking them about barriers to physical exercise. These included lack of time, work commitments and accessibility challenges. When asked about potential solutions, residents cited more variety, flexible times and affordable opportunities that would most help them become active.
Lynne Haxton, representative from the Angus Sport and Physical Activity Planning Partnership said: “We have been working with partners on this framework since early 2020 and we feel it will be a great support for us all in the planning and delivery of sport and physical activity investment, services and opportunities.
“The framework emphasises our commitment to encouraging, enabling, and supporting local people to regularly engage in activity that is appropriate and important to them as well as understanding the barriers that people face in order to design and develop appropriate solutions.
“According to an NHS health Scotland report1, physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths in Scotland each year and costs the economy around £91m per year. The recent pandemic has no doubt only accentuated this. Therefore it’s essential that the framework plays an important role in helping Angus residents recover both mentally and physically from the pandemic but also support children and young people that have been most impacted by the pandemic to adopt a more physically active lifestyle.
“It’s all about increasing and enhancing opportunities for everyone in Angus, irrespective of age or ability, to reap the benefits that sport and physical activity can bring including reduced risk of disease and improved general health and wellbeing.”
Potential outcomes and solutions identified in the framework include helping ensure people feel they belong and are welcome, engaged, and connected to sport and physical activity; target inactive individuals, with or without a disability to be active together; and better understand the reasons for drop off in participation to develop targeted approaches to address these.
The partnership will also work to adopt a changing lives approach using sport and physical activity as a tool to increase participation and wider social outcomes, design parallel activities for parents and children to take part in sport as well as creating an inclusive leadership pathway to ensure leadership opportunities are accessed by a range of young people.
For more information on the framework you can contact any of the partner organisations listed or visit www.angusalive.scot/sport-leisure/community-sport
ANGUSalive
ANGUSalive (SC046133) is the culture, sport and leisure trust for the county of Angus and has been operating since December 2015.
