Draft leisure strategy shifts focus from numbers to wellbeing outcomes

With data showing 20 per cent of children in the district start primary school overweight or obese, South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) is seeking residents' views on its draft Sport and Leisure Strategy.The update to the current strategy follows a shift in the national focus away from growing the number of people exercising, and towards the social good that sport and physical activity can deliver.A public consultation on SNC's draft strategy will take place between Thursday, 18 July and Wednesday, 18 September and responses will be collated from a variety of sources, including: an online survey, social media and via drop-in events.Cllr Karen Cooper, SNC's portfolio holder for wellbeing, said: "Research for our draft strategy reveals some stark realities about the health impacts of inactivity."Our draft strategy is designed to support our least active residents and to give them the tools to build activity into their everyday lives, while at the same time supporting local people of all ages and backgrounds to fulfill their potential through sport, leisure and physical activity."If adopted SNC's Sport and Leisure Strategy will guide planning decisions, developers, community groups, sports clubs, parish councils and national sporting bodies on what the district needs between 2019 and 2024.The SNC strategy is informed by the Northamptonshire Physical Activity and Sport Framework (2018-2021), which in-turn aligns with the national 'Sporting Future, a new Strategy for an Active Nation' (2015).The national strategy redefines what success looks like in sport by concentrating on five key outcomes: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development and economic development.To read SNC's draft strategy, facts sheets on health and leisure facilities in the district, and to take part in the online questionnaire, visit - http://bit.ly/SportandLeisureConsultation.