Sportivate Helps Women in Bath & North East Somerset Get Active
Sportivate is a nationwide campaign that will capture the excitement of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by providing opportunities for teenagers and young adults (aged 14-25) to receive coaching in a sport of their choice and guide them into regular participation within their community.
The aim of this Sportivate project was to find a way to engage the segment of the population described as “Paula’s” by Sport England Market Segmentation. “Paula’s” are characterised as young mothers, who are often unemployed and do not have time to engage in physical activity due to childcare commitments (See Full Profile Here).
The project aimed to establish a class of some kind in the Twerton area of Bath, a ward that has a high number of “Paula’s”, to engage them in physical activity at a time when childcare issues would not be a problem.
Sportivate funding was accessed through Wesport to kick-start the project, providing funding for the first six weeks. In partnership with Bath and North East Somerset Council’s leisure provider (Aquaterra Leisure), a local qualified Zumba instructor and a suitable venue was found. The venue was, Twerton Village Hall – a local, well-used and well-known space in the heart of a community where the target audience – young mothers – are known to reside in large numbers.
A free taster session was offered in the first session, and after a slow start, the class has grown to attract up to 10 women a week, who come along to the class on a Monday morning, giving them an active start to the week.
The project has run for 12 weeks in total and has seen 25 women access the class, paying an affordable £2 per week for a 45-minute Zumba session, which they can fit round their often-changeable work and childcare commitments.
The aim is for the class to become self-sustaining in the New Year after, with either Aquaterra Leisure or the instructor taking the class on themselves, providing a much-needed physical activity opportunity for young mothers to engage with around their work and childcare commitments.
If you would like more information about Sportivate and how you can get involved either taking part or delivering a Sportivate project please visit www.wesport.org.uk/sportivate.
