GreaterSport among Active Partnerships chosen to distribute London Marathon grant to inspire activity among young homeless people

By GreaterSport | 24 November 2020 | TAGS: Children and young people, Homelessness

The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust) has awarded a £600,000 grant to a project that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of young homeless people in North England and Scotland through the power of sport.

The grant to Active Partnerships’ Young People Forward project was made possible by a generous donation of £600,000 from Virgin Money, the title sponsor of the London Marathon which is owned by London Marathon Events, the trading company for The Trust and will be distributed by GreaterSport and six other Active partnerships in the North of England and Scotland will work directly with just under 600 young people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness while also developing a programme model that can be rolled out to inspire activity in many more.

The funding will provide physical activity sessions in 11 areas: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Humber, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland, Edinburgh, West Lothian and Glasgow.

According to data from the Office of National Statistics, about 25% of all applications for help with homelessness or being accepted for a housing duty come from people aged 25 or below. In the areas targeted by this project, there were 13,406 homeless young people reported in the North West in 2018/2019, 9,453 in Yorkshire and the Humber, 4,967 in the North East and 6,996 in Scotland. (Centrepoint Youth Homelessness Databank).

Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, said: “The Trust is committed to supporting projects that challenge the inequality of access to physical activity so that everyone has the opportunity to be active, supporting their health and wellbeing. It is with great thanks to Virgin Money for their generous donation that we have been able to work together to support this important initiative – the timing of which could not be more significant. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the inequalities faced by many vulnerable people, and the Young People Forward project will use the power of physical activity to improve the lives of many young people facing homelessness.”

Helen Page, Group Brand and Marketing Director for Virgin Money, said: “It’s heart-breaking that homelessness continues to be so widespread in our society. There has never been a more important time to break down the barriers which prevent the most vulnerable young people in our society from accessing sport and physical activity as a way to improve their lives. The link between physical and emotional wellbeing is fundamental and Virgin Money is honoured to support this initiative, which will help improve the lives of young people at a time when they need it most.”

Francesca Speakman Strategic Lead Active Children and Young People said: “At GreaterSport we welcome the opportunity to support young people across Greater Manchester to engage in physical activity, supporting the ambition to make GM the best place for young people to grow up. This has never been a more important ambition given the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of young people in the city region. We are currently exploring opportunities to work with 5 local organisations who have trusted relationships with 80 young people already homeless or at risk of homelessness. We welcome any insight from partners in Greater Manchester and welcome contact if you’d like to find out more.”

The grant has been awarded through The Trust’s Strategic Partnership Grants programme, which supports impactful projects across the UK that will inspire activity and challenge the inequality of access to physical activity for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.

For more information about our work in Greater Manchester, please contact Jess Eastoe.