EAST Lindsey District Council has attracted almost £2million of external funding in the last two years to develop sporting activities and promote healthier lifestyles, according to financial information released by the Authority.
The Sports and Arts Development Team at the Council has attracted the funding from various regional, national and European agencies, by demonstrating an ambition to lead the way in sport and health development and pilot important schemes that bring improvements to communities within the district.
Stephen De Wint, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, said the work done by the team over the past 18 months in particular has been remarkable: “At a time when resources are harder to come by and even more difficult to fit into a comprehensive strategic way forward, the team have secured an amazing amount of external money. At the same time they have tried to address ongoing local sporting needs as well as any Sports Development team in the region. This is a remarkable and praiseworthy achievement that I hope is recognised by the population of the East Lindsey District."
Sports and Arts Development Team Leader, James Brindle, has led the team responsible: “We know we can’t go it alone. By working with a number of organisations across the country and in some cases from Europe, we’ve been able to attract financial support for local projects. These projects really make a difference at the grass routes of our communities.
“Over the last two year our biggest drive has been to encourage young children and the over 55s to take part in sport and leisure activities. This has led to two very exciting and innovative projects - Gymkids and HEELERS (Health and Exercise East Lindsey – Exercise Referral Scheme). We have already seen tangible health improvements in the target communities based on these programmes. These are being run in conjunction with the Primary Care Trust.
“Two multi use games areas opened in 2006 in Louth and Sutton on Sea (£342k capital funding), these have been a great addition to both towns and are regularly used for five-a-side football and other sports.
“Other projects have seen the appointment of 4 Community Sports Coaches (£70k).
“The Play Bus (£250k) will be on the road later this year thanks to the Big Lottery Fund. The bus is currently being kitted out with the latest play technology, including computers, and it will tour the district taking free play activities to those aged between 11 and 19.
“The Arts is also something we’ve been working hard to promote. Many of you will have been to concerts by our resident orchestra, the London Mozart Players. In the last few weeks we’ve been given £250,000 to promote an international arts festival that will be touring Europe and visiting Skegness this September.
“The exhibition is entitled Black/North SEAS and it starts the tour in the Ukraine before travelling through ten countries, with Skegness the only venue in the UK. This is a great opportunity to put East Lindsey arts on the map.
“This is just a summary of the funding we’ve attracted in the last two years and how some of it has been spent. The total doesn’t include the funding we’ve attracted for projects such as the multi million pound Community Leisure Project, which include the leisure centre and improved sports facilities on London Road in Louth and Wainfleet Road in Skegness.
“By working with the community and developing new ideas to encourage people to take part in sport, leisure and community activities, I firmly believe we can continue to make a big difference to the lives of those living in our district. If you run a club or you have an idea for funding just get in touch with the Sports and Arts Development Team at East Lindsey to see if it is possible to help realise any hopes and ambitions you have for your sport.”
