Suffolk project helping rural communities get active gets £220,000 of funding
They want to encourage more people to get active, to improve their health and wellbeing
Last updated 7th Dec 2023
A Suffolk project which is helping rural communities get active is getting more than £220,000 of funding.
The money, which is being given to Active Suffolk, is coming from the National Lottery, Suffolk County Council, the West Suffolk Alliance and West Suffolk Council, and will be used to support its work in helping rural communities to get active.
It will be spent on the Fit Villages project, which is entering its thirteenth year, and works to encourage more people across Suffolk to get active, to improve their health and wellbeing.
Specifically, the funding will be used to set up more physical activity sessions for adults aged over 55 in local facilities such as community centres, village halls, libraries and playing fields.
It's as Suffolk has double the national average (39.7 per cent) of residents living in rural areas, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) of Suffolk's population aged over 65 years old.
Laura Spooner, Senior Development Officer for Active Suffolk, said: "We're delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund, Suffolk County Council, the West Suffolk Alliance and West Suffolk Council have recognised our work in this way.
"Now, thanks to National Lottery players and our match funders we will be able to continue making sure that older adults living in more rural areas have the opportunity to get active in a way that is accessible to them.
"Not only does this then benefit their physical health, but it also helps to address the problems that can come from living in rural areas such as feeling socially isolated.
"We're incredibly proud of our Fit Villages project and we're looking forward to facilitating even more activities across Suffolk in the near future."