The 'Empowering Local Communities to become self-sustaining' parallel session presentation. From Age UK's fit as a fiddle: A lasting legacy conference.

1. Karl Read
The Time Of Your Life!
North Norfolk District Council

2. Background
• North Norfolk large district and is very rural, 45
miles of coastline
• Population of 101,000
• High % of older people
• Lack of access to facilities
• Poor transport links
• Generally perceived as affluent but many pockets of
deprivation (Holt example)
• Slightly higher levels of unemployment than national
average
• Tourism led economy (seasonal employment)
Fit as a Fiddle

3. Sport England Active England Fund
• Sport England announced “Active England” fund
in 2004
• SE wanted to “test” innovative ideas/projects to
increase participation
• Funded several projects nationwide
• Range of capital and/or revenue only ideas
• Aimed specifically at those ‘hard to reach’ groups
• Targeting people that currently do not exercise
Fit as a Fiddle

4. Need for The Project
• Always concentrated on traditional sports
development work – young
• An appetite to engage with older people
• Struggled to reach isolated communities – desire
to provide a mobile service
• Good leisure stock provision, but recognition that
some communities cannot access these
• Consultation completed in Stalham –
demonstrated need for a gym
Fit as a Fiddle

5. Project details
• £133k capital, 7.5 tonnes lorry – made by
“Vipex”
• Remainder of revenue funding to cover
two part time staff
• Staff drove lorry and delivered exercise
• Gym equipment
• Fuel
• Maintenance
• Facility hire – village halls
Fit as a Fiddle

6. Mobile Gym Photo
Fit as a Fiddle

7. Official Opening
Fit as a Fiddle

8. Project Delivery
• Began delivery June 2005
• Initial aim to visit two/three venues each day
• Exercise delivered in gym format
• Personal support (hand-holding) provided to those
lacking in confidence
• Also tai-chi included for cardiac rehab
• Tai-chi DVD produced
Fit as a Fiddle

9. Initial Results
• Extremely positive public reaction
• Regional TV, national press
• No need to advertise
• Novelty factor attracted great coverage
• Put North Norfolk ‘on the map’
• It was most difficult to say “NO” (to those people
that didn’t need it)!
Fit as a Fiddle

10. Initial Results continued
• Initial trouble recruiting all staff
• Not a job for just any fitness instructor,
disappointing attitude in some
• Early participation figures low – 100/month
• However one or two good early results: women’s
mental health group and cardiac rehab
Fit as a Fiddle

11. 2006 onwards
• Change in staff – new JD to better manage and
administrate project
• Dedicated time to admin and market
• Only visit one venue per day
• Better quality instructors – more
personal/supportive service (a
• New van to support delivery
Fit as a Fiddle

12. 2007
• Project quickly increases to 400 visits per month
• Increase in number of venues visited
• Good continuity
• Original SE revenue funding one year remaining
• Need to find alternative funding
• Big Lottery funding application sent off via AGE
UK
Fit as a Fiddle

13. 2008
• Project evolves
• Stop using lorry gym
• Just use village halls to add resilience and reduce
overheads
• Still a requirement for further funding
• Big Lottery via Age UK funding realised (without
which the project would not have survived)!!
• Match funding from Sport England and LSP
funding realised
• First time identified that the project needed to
create sustainability or an exit route
Fit as a Fiddle

14. 2009
• Continued to work with AGE UK and BIG
• LSP funding demanded that the project left a
legacy
• Does not leave communities stranded
• Work to support those communities set up their
own exercise classes or similar
• Build capacity, strengthen social capital
• Help those find external funding
• LSP funding to release staff to do this
Fit as a Fiddle

15. Setting up Sustainable Gyms – The
Committee
• Stalham identified as first community gym –
deprived town, no gyms nearby
• Most important to identify two or three key
members of the gym/community to volunteer
• Educate to bring them up to speed with aims, etc
• Organise open public meeting to obtain “buy-in”
• Agree committee, roles/responsibilities
• Write constitution – NNDC provided legal advice
• Set up bank account
Fit as a Fiddle

16. External Funding
• Work with committee
• Agree what is required (bottom up approach)
• Admission/membership structure
• Equipment
• Opening times
• Start application to “Awards for All”
• “Hand-hold” through application process
• Fast turn around time – six weeks
Fit as a Fiddle

17. Continued Support
• Assist in setting up of community gym
• Advice on what equipment to purchase
• Technical help to recruit fitness instructors,
advert, interviews
• Help to market/promote gym – key!!
• Assist in official opening
• Continued support – e.g. Stalham needed further
help after a “stutter”
Fit as a Fiddle

18. Photo of Stalham opening …
Fit as a Fiddle

19. Lessons learnt
• Staff – most important part of project, many good
mainstream fitness instructors would not be
suitable
• Would have originally applied for five years
funding rather than three
• More consultation prior to project– need to know
which communities need it most, but best situated
to sustain
• Planning future – need to plan one year ahead,
rather than ad hoc
• One venue per day
• Need six months in each venue – but don’t allow
Fit as a Fiddle

20. The Future
• Current participation figures at their highest –
1,050 in Jan 2012
• Diversified, also delivering Nordic Walking and
Zumba
• Continue to investigate future funding
• Council’s Big Society Fund
• Project needs to stand on its own two feet –
CIC??
Fit as a Fiddle