Wide range of activities funded, from environmentally friendly ‘plogging’ to playground improvements
It's been a little over six months since we launched our Active Spaces Fund, and in that time we've awarded more than £2.4 million to improve and create places, spaces and facilities in London to support children, young people and marginalised groups and communities to lead active and healthy lives.
A total of 81 projects across 26 London Boroughs have been funded, covering a wide range of sports and physical activities – from dance to fencing to volleyball – for different communities. This includes an environmentally friendly ‘plogging’ project (combining jogging and litter picking), six new play projects for children and families, an Inclusive Cycling Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for people with disabilities, new safe and accessible fitness sessions for LGBTQIA+ people, and free boxing sessions for Muslim and Black women.
With physical and mental health ranked as the third most important issue for young Londoners (Partnership for Young London’s Levelling up London Report, 2023), and the continuing uncertainty of the cost-of-living crisis disproportionately impacting marginalised groups and communities, our mission to create opportunities for more children, young people, marginalised groups and communities to lead active and healthy lives has never been more important.
Catherine Anderson, Executive Director of the London Marathon Foundation, said: “Our mission to increase and diversify participation in physical activity is more important than ever and we want to support as many people as we can to lead active and healthy lives.
“The wide range of groups and organisations we are supporting through our Active Spaces Fund are truly inspiring and their innovative ideas and passion will create new opportunities for children, young people and marginalised groups to be active. By working together, we can develop healthier and happier communities across London.”
Chris Broadbent, Founder and CEO of Planet Earth Games Trust, said: “We are thrilled to have secured funding from the London Marathon Foundation to launch three community plogging groups in the capital, combining our charity’s mission of supporting physical activity and taking climate action. We look forward to working with people within London communities to support shared wellbeing and improving their shared environments through this exciting programme.”
Zoe Portlock, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bikeworks, said: “We’re so excited our new Inclusive Cycling Centre will be opening on 20 April, thanks to the support of the London Marathon Foundation. The first of its kind in London, our Inclusive Cycling Centre will provide disabled people with even more cycling experiences and showcase the benefits of cycling for everyone."
Bisila Noha, Business Development Manager at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, said: “We’re chuffed to be funded by the London Marathon Foundation! By creating a new LGBTQ+ space with a broad range of physical activities, we will be supporting our mission to improve our community’s wellbeing as well as providing opportunities for less experienced LGBTQ+ fitness facilitators and teachers to start up their careers.”
Julie Quinn, Mulberry Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Services Manager at The Mulberry Centre, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding to better support people affected by cancer by running low-weight exercise sessions aimed at maintaining muscle tone and strength – also providing a great opportunity to meet up and share experiences with others who may be going through similar circumstances while being active.”
Giles Hobart, Chief Executive of TAG Youth Club for Disabled Young People, said: “Our aim of providing children and young people with additional needs the opportunity to explore sports and activities they wouldn’t usually be able to take part in is becoming a reality, thanks to this funding – ensuring the right equipment is in place and spaces are safe for attendees to participate in.”
About the funded projects:
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
• The Disablement Association of Barking and Dagenham (£40,000) to create an accessible, outdoor soft play and activity space in Pembroke Gardens for disabled children and young people
• Hedgecock Community Centre (£20,000) to continue delivering fitness and yoga classes aimed at South Asian and Muslim women
• Planet Earth Games Trust (£12,500) to launch community plogging groups (combining jogging and litter picking activities) in the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Brent and Newham
• TKO Barking Amateur Boxing Club CIC (£9,800) towards a six-month boxing programme offering free, weekly sessions to Muslim and Black Minority Ethnic women
• FL Women and Family Wellness (£8,100) towards a range of activities including Wing Chun, dance and swimming, to support the health and wellbeing of Thames Ward residents
London Borough of Barnet
• Saracens Foundation (£42,450) towards creating the Junior disABILITY Hub to support individuals of all ages with a wide range of disabilities to participate in sport and physical activity
• We Are Grow (£19,600) to install an accessible pathway and disabled compost toilet and to contribute towards staffing costs, so existing gardening programmes are more inclusive for wheelchair users and elderly residents
• Strength and Learning Through Horses (£10,000) towards an equine Therapeutic Education Programme for young people with complex mental health needs and/or learning difficulties
• Acheinu Limited T/A The Boys Clubhouse (BCH) (£3,980) to expand a pilot football programme targeting boys aged 15 to 25 from the Jewish community who are homeless, socially excluded or not in education, employment or training (NEET)
London Borough of Brent
• Treasure Sports Club (£34,800) to run the After School Club offering free boxing sessions for children from the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Westminster
• BANG Edutainment Ltd (£13,300) towards the Dela Move campaign aiming to get young people active through dance and movement
London Borough of Camden
• Bloomsbury Football Foundation (£84,200) towards delivering the “Changing the Game for Girls” programme across Camden to engage more girls in football
• Coram's Fields & the Harmsworth Memorial Playground (£50,000) to create a new, natural outdoor play space for children
• The Winchester Project Ltd (£38,400) to refurbish the female changing facilities
• Queen's Crescent Community Association (£36,000) towards the annual salary of a Sport Development Coordinator who will lead a sports programme for marginalised young people
London Borough of Croydon
• Croydon Voluntary Action (£47,000) towards converting an old retail unit into a new space with a range of activities from table tennis to dance and towards staffing costs of a ‘Community Builder’ to run the activities
• Reaching Higher (£15,200) to deliver free, mentoring-based sports sessions for marginalised young people in Croydon
London Borough of Ealing
• London Borough of Ealing (£67,650) towards canal side and landscape improvements between the Grand Union Canal and the Havelock Estate creating more open, green space for sports and physical activity
London Borough of Enfield
• Edmonton Community Partnership (£46,901) to provide free football sessions to girls in Edmonton
• London CC CIC (£20,400) to set up a free bike hire scheme and cycle training for children in Pymmes Park
• Friends of Firs Farm (£20,000) to install a Changing Places toilet
Royal Borough of Greenwich
• The AHOY Centre (£21,000) contributing towards the annual salary of an Outreach Officer to engage more inactive children and young people in water-based sports and activities
• AFC Lewisham CIC (£19,850) to install a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities at Gresham Athletic Sports Ground
London Borough of Hackney
• Misgav (£33,500) to continue running a sports programme for women that’s inclusive for both learning disabled and non-disabled women from diverse communities in the London Boroughs of Hackney and Haringey
• Kids in the Spotlight (£12,000) to run free weekly sports sessions for children and young people
• London Borough of Hackney (£8,000) to buy bikes and building cycle storage in Hackney Wick
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
• Mother and Children Foundation (£42,850) to run a Youth Taekwondo club
London Borough of Haringey
• London Borough of Haringey (£30,000) towards creating a new, large play area in the O R Tambo Recreation Ground
• Haringey Girls (£5,000) towards equipment and space renovation to engage inactive women and girls in sports
London Borough of Harrow
• Middlesex Tamil Sports & Social Club (£50,000) to install an all-weather cricket practice facility
• Alridha Foundation (£20,000) to run multi-sports sessions for six-months for inactive and isolated young people from Black, Asian and Arab communities
London Borough of Hillingdon
• Hillingdon Autistic Care and Support (£25,000) to develop a one-year pilot programme providing weekly multi-sports sessions for autistic young people
London Borough of Hounslow
• Project Turn-Over (£41,500) to continue their Taking Control rugby sessions at Staines Rugby Club aimed at young people at risk of exclusion from school and released on temporary licence from Feltham Young Offenders prison
• The Mulberry Centre (£10,000) towards guided table tennis and low-impact weights exercise sessions to support people affected by cancer to be active
London Borough of Islington
• KIDS (£47,000) to replace a worn-out football pitch with a new multi-use games area (MUGA) at Hayward Adventure Playground
• Claremont Project (Islington) (£40,000) to run a range of activities for older people including Tai Chi, Pilates and yoga
• MahaDevi Yoga Centre (£19,800) to convert a storage room into a new yoga studio to deliver more therapeutic yoga sessions for children and young people with disabilities and special needs
• Platform Cricket (£18,000) to establish a new “pop-up” youth cricket club in Farringdon (with sessions in Finsbury Leisure Centre and Spa Fields Park)
• Community In Motion Fitness CIC (£8,000) towards fitness, wellbeing and dietary advice programmes for local communities
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
• The Chelsea Theatre (£48,440) towards a street dance project for children and young people
• Baraka Community Association (£20,000) towards multi-sport and healthy living activities for girls from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
London Borough of Lambeth
• Street Soccer (London) Limited (£50,000) to run free, inclusive football sessions at the Black Prince Community Hub
• BIGKID Foundation (£49,500) towards a MUGA and natural play areas at Dexters Adventure Playground in Brixton
• Lambeth Elfrida Rathbone Society (£47,600) towards improving and activating the MUGA on the Central Hill Estate
• Little Giants Volleyball C.I.C (£32,810) to deliver volleyball sessions for inactive children from deprived communities in Brixton
• Code 7 Ltd (£24,900) to expand a multi-sport keep fit programme for children and young people
• Baytree Centre (£20,000) towards reactivating the Baytree Centre gym for women and girls
• The Triangle Adventure Playground Association (£19,800) to install a 30m tree top walkway
• Community Education Foundation & Lyncx (£19,500) to renovate the GreenHut in Windmill Garden to support delivering a range of sport and physical activities within the park
London Borough of Lewisham
• Sporting Way C.I.C. (£47,480) to expand the Sporting Way Afterschool Sports and Games Club, providing free activities for children with special education needs and disabilities
• Catford Wanderers Sports Club Ltd (£10,000) towards rebuilding outdoor cricket nets and junior cricket coaching costs
London Borough of Newham
• Aston-Mansfield (£50,000) to deliver the Little Manor after-school club for one year
• Bikeworks CIC (£50,000) to develop an Inclusive Cycling Hub at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• XLP (£15,000) to deliver their Dance, Fitness and Fencing programme and improve the Youth Gym in Stratford
London Borough of Redbridge
• Ekota Academy Ltd. (£40,000) to create a new learning and physical activity hub within the Goodmayes Park Pavilion
• Frenford Clubs (£34,500) contributing towards staffing costs for a female football Development Officer
London Borough of Richmond
• TAG Youth Club for Disabled Young People (£18,000) to purchase specialist accessible equipment for snow sports and biking sessions for disabled young people
London Borough of Southwark
• Bankside Open Spaces Trust (£150,000) to develop an outdoor running track and improve accessibility for disabled people at Marlborough Sports Garden
• Bronx Boxing Ltd (£60,000) to convert a dilapidated sports hall in Camberwell into a new boxing gym
• London LGBTQ+ Community Centre (£41,300) to hold more activities for LGBTQIA+ people including Yoga, jiu-jitsu and a running club
• Burgess Sports (£25,000) towards salary costs for a Project Manager to run holiday sports camps for children and young people
• Time & Talents Association (£23,400) to help marginalised and isolated adults to get active through a volunteer befriending scheme
• Restorative Justice for All International Institute (RJ4All) (£20,000) to buy new equipment for their community gym
• Peter Hills C of E Primary School (£20,000) to create a community garden that will engage pupils and the local community in gardening activities
• Tideway Sailability (£20,000) towards a new clubhouse and boat shed at Surrey Docks Watersports Centre
• Southwark Tigers Rugby Club (£10,000) to run the “Without Barriers” community rugby project for local schools
• South London Renegades (£5,200) to grow their American Football sessions in Burgess Park
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Clarion Futures Communities (£50,000) to improve and repair the football pitch surface, lighting and goalposts at Wilmer House in Bow
• The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Paul's, Shadwell (£41,120) to set up three new outdoor gyms at Wapping Gardens, Bartlett Park and Millwall Park
• Ocean Youth Connexions (£25,000) to run Taekwondo and Mixed Marital Arts sessions for children and young people
• Wadajir Somali Community Centre (£24,500) to hold free sports sessions for Somali children and young people at Mile End Park Leisure Centre
• Vallance Community Sports Association (£10,000) to provide a range of sport and physical activity sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• London Basketball Association (£8,500) to run free basketball sessions for marginalised, disengaged and inactive young people
London Borough of Waltham Forest
• New Initiatives Youth & Community Association (£50,000) to fund a new staff role to coordinate Black Unity Bike Ride events at the Lee Valley VeloPark
• The Lloyd Park Children's Charity (£50,000) to employ a new full-time member of staff to plan play activities for marginalised families at the Grow Wild natural adventure playground
• Mile Rainbow CIC (£15,900) to deliver East Asian dance classes including Korean dance and traditional Chinese folk dance
• Salaam Peace (£3,230) to improve the MUGA at Edinburgh Primary School
London Borough of Wandsworth
• Battersea Arts Centre (£38,000) to run hip-hop and street dance sessions for young people, and to support gardening activities at their Community Garden
• Herne Hill Harriers (£12,200) to continue their beginner and intermediate running programmes in Tooting
London Borough of Westminster
• Westminster Boating Base (£42,000) to buy four new RS Ventures boats
• Marylebone Bangladesh Society Ltd (£23,730) to hold multi-sport sessions including basketball, football and badminton for children and young people from Church Street Ward