Wharfedale Activity Group

Action Plan and Strategy

2009 to 2012

Introduction and WAG contexts

  • The delivery system for sport, much heralded by the government at its inception in 2001, has now changed beyond recognition.
  • The Wharfedale Activity Group was established in 2006 to implement government targets of increasing participation in sport and physical activity by 1% per year up to the 2012 Olympic Games.
  • WAG is a Local Sports Alliance (LSA) and part of the Bradford MDC Community Sport Network (CSN).
  • Rather late in the day the following strategy is designed to achieve increased participation and awareness of the need to exercise regularly. It will be valid way beyond the 2012 Olympics.
  • The NHS via the Bradford and Airedale PCT has also recognised the need for everyone to take regular excercise in order to reduce the burgeoning of cost of obesity and lack of exercise, and is supportive of the aims of WAG.
  • The Wharfe Valley communities of Menston, Burley in Wharfedale, Ilkley and Addingham are represented locally by local Parish councils for each community and as such there has not been much “joined up thinking” in the provision of and investment in sporting facilities and venues. Indeed each Parish has own Parish plan produced independently of the other. This could be a problem in delivering the strategy.
  • The WharfeValley community also some unique features in that it contains a sizeable “grey” community who tend to be left out when sports and physical activity strategies are being devised. This strategy will focus on both ends of the age spectrum.
  • The WharfeValley is part of Bradford MDC. It is the only LSA segment of the Council that does not have a publicly funded Health and Fitness Centre, whereas other LSA’s have at least one.
  • The WharfeValley has been presented with an opportunity to develop a new secondary educational establishment under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The community has been invited to participate in the decision making process as to provision of sports facilities as part of the development. Whilst this currently looks to be a fairly distant prospect it is one with which WAG would wish to be involved.
  • The latest Sport England plans for the distribution of BigLottery Funds give a far greater involvement and responsibility to National Governing Bodies (NGB’s) via their Whole Sport Plans (WSP’s).
  • In the continued absence of a publicly funded Sport and Leisure facility in the valley WAG will work closely with local clubs to ensure that facilities offered are of a standard fit the 21st century and are affordable and accessible to all.
  • WAG will also encourage all providers of Sport and Physical activity to ensure that the provision meets the highest standards and that their finances are managed in a correct and appropriate manner.

WAG’s main aims are:

  • To be a lobbying, coordinating and facilitation group for the provision of a Sports and Leisure Centre in the WharfeValley.
  • These facilities are enjoyed by all other areas of the Bradford District and, as such, Wharfedale considers itself disadvantaged.
  • We believe that this single facility would more than achieve that target and other subsidiary targets such as 3 x half hourly exercise sessions per week for everybody (3x30), and 5 x hours of physical education per pupil per week in schools.

The group also recognise this will not be possible in the short term, at least from council funding, but that efforts should be made within council and by other key partners to look at a range of ideas including PFI funding (e.g., the Local Authority might provide the land, the PFI the buildings and “software”), as part of wider developments (private sector or state-funded, e.g., Building Schools for the Future, etc.) and as part of planning gain, including S.106 contributions.

Of immediate benefit WAG, with council assistance will:

  • Be a regular meeting place for exchange of views and ideas to enhance access to Sport and Physical Activity in the area and to make all participants aware of progress.
  • Liaise with PCT and other health related organisations to ensure that their initiatives are at the centre of any development work within sports clubs and organisations.
  • Be a place for Bradford Council to inform the group of local and council-wide and central governmentinitiatives etc.
  • Support the Sport England campaign for 100% council tax relief for sports clubs – at least those with CASC status.
  • Seek publicity for the group and all Sport and Physical activity initiatives in the area.
  • Input into the developing Local Development Framework to ensure that strategic plans for the promotion of facilities and infrastructure in Wharfedale are included in statutory future planning priorities.
  • Work closely with schools and local FE/HE institutions to create opportunities for 16+ students and to maximize the opportunities for them to stay active.
  • Work closely with the local School Sports Partnership (Oakbank, Keighley) and Extended Schools Partnership to ensure pupils enjoy quality sports coaching from both staff and Community Sports Coaches.
  • Work closely with private sector sport and leisure providers, private sector sponsors of sport and business networks in general to promote the value of sport and fitness to their organisations and to the quality of life in Wharfedale as a whole.

The strategy is summarized as follows:

Wharfedale Activity Group

Physical Activity Action Plan

1. Information

There is an enormous amount of activity going on in Wharfedale of which the local population and visitors to the town are simply unaware.

It is aimed to build upon this foundation through the following measures:

1.1

Develop and maintain the bactive website as a central and interactive point for information relating to sport and physical activity in the Wharfe Valley. This is part of the overall strategy for Bradford.

Ensure that it is widely available (home, school, work, library, hospitals, community centres, medical centres etc).

The management of the site will include the continued promotion of links to other key websites (eg, Sport England, West Yorkshire Sport, Bradford Council, school sites, etc).

1.2

In addition to the website, a “Physical Activity Directory” covering all activities in all sectors on an annual basis will be produced. This will be tied in to publicity in the local press, primarily the Ilkley Gazette.It is the intention to work closely with the Ilkley Gazette in order that a regular update of relevant information is printed in an appropriate location in the newspaper on a weekly basis, for use of residents and visitors alike

This directory to include all Council owned/managed facilities such as school Sports Halls and playing fields, Church Halls and any other facility (including private sector facilities) which may be used for Sport and /or Physical Activity.

1.3

The location and brief details of eachfacility to be"mapped" and included on a database.

To enable maximum number of people to be aware of and to access these activities,a website, a paper directory, perhaps asa supplement tothe Bradford Council Community Pride publication,together witha Sports and Physical Activity map of the area will be produced.

Some funding will be required for the preparation and publication of this “directory”. There will be an on-going cost to keep it up to date.

1.4

Create a regular column in the Ilkley Gazette featuring local clubs and providers and focus on the benefits.

1.5

WAG meets on a regular basis (every three months) and notes of the discussions at the meeting are produced. Copies of these notes will continue to be e-mailed to those who request them.Each meeting will be preceded by a sports surgery where plans and requirements can be aired and pointers given to the next step.

2. Facilities

The WharfeValley is well provided for most sports in terms of facilities and availability. There is probably a misconception that they are in some way elitist and unaffordable.Notable exceptions are an athletics track, a higher league soccer arena and a Sport and Leisure facility.

2.1

WAG will produce a plan for Sports and Physical Activity facilities in the Wharfe Valley in order that the area is not disadvantaged when either local or central government funds areavailable.

In the process of producing the above details it could be possible to match capacity of facilities available at each venue to the needs of other groups.

2.2

WAG will give its support to development plans of local clubs to enhance or improve their facilities and, where possible, source funding or advice on funding sources, applications for funding etc. for them. The group is aware of at least four such initiatives as at 31/05/2009. All new projects must be considered by WAG and referred upwards to the CSN for inclusion in the process of allocating BigLottery funds and included on individual merit.

2.3

WAG will identify every existing facility in the town, regardless of ownership, and to try to introduce a strategic pattern of use that will enable existing resources to be better utilised and thus highlight particular shortfalls that need to be provided. Shortfalls, once identified, can be addressed strategically rather than on a piecemeal basis.

It should also be remembered that many of the best facilities for sport and active recreation in the district are free - the Wharfe Valley has hundreds of kilometres of footpaths and bridleways leading straight out from the town centre into some of the most scenic countryside in the world.

There is not currently a full inventory of facilities in the town, and this therefore is a priority.

2.4

Produce a simple data formatfor each facility, showing key information about ownership, access opportunities, current levels of usage, cost of access, location, etc. This data to be publicly available

2.5

Establish a development plan over the next 5 yearsfor each facility, ideally utilising existing development plans prepared by facility owners/managers. This will result in an overall Wharfe Valley Facilities Development Plan to be maintained on a rolling 5-year programme, linked as far as possible with external strategies and the Bradford Unitary Development Plan (UDP).

2.6

For key facilities, establish optimum short and long term criteria for the provision of certain facilities (e.g. all secondary school sites to have, as a minimum, a sports hall and artificial training pitches, open to the whole community, all grass pitches properly drained, etc). The BSF programme is key to this.

2.7

Develop imaginative and ambitious ideas for opening up the potential use of existing and new”traditional” facilities to wider sections of the community. (e.g.including walking for health, as part of a walking not riding programme).

2.8

In addition to above, establish a clear linkage between key facilities and key local sports and physical activity clubs and organisations in order to facilitate the physical activity development pathways to be established in the valley.

2.9

Ensure that publicly owned facilities such as school halls and courts are made available for use by the public as much as is practicably possible.

2.10

Ensure that places of Activity are accessible by public transport. The prime example is Ilkley Swimming Pool/Lido.

2.11

Ensure that opportunities for healthy and active transport are highlighted and created, including walking and cycling. To promote the natural environment and infrastructure in Wharfedale and support the neighbouring “Go-Dales” project and initiatives to utilise Rombalds Moor more effectively for active pursuits.

3. Infrastructure

Action Point 3 is targeted at ensuring that people can actually get to the facilities.

It is well-known that distances of as little as 1 mile can be a barrier to people accessing facilities, especially after dark and/or in bad weather.

There are four main modes of transport that are used to access sport and physical activities:

Foot, Cycle, Public Transport, Private Car

The Wharfedale Action Plan cannot address the wider scope of a sustainable integrated transport plan for the WharfeValley, and this is an ongoing task of other key organisations (Bradford Council). However there are a number of initiatives that can be undertaken at little or no cost.

3.1

Development of the designated walkways to key centres

3.2

Creation of cycle tracks or cycle lanes away from the A65.

3.3

To ensure local bus services reach to key centres of sport and physical activity in particular the Ilkley swimming baths and Lido.

3.4

Create, via the Physical Activity Development Systems the opportunity for those least able to travel (young children, the elderly, the less able) to access physical activities as far as possible “on-site” without the need for excessive travel (e.g. out of school provision, use of community centres etc).

4. Leadership and Coaching

Once people are at the various facilities, there needs to be an accessible and clear structure of leadership and coaching, suitable for the particular circumstances.

There are many qualified coaches, sports leaders, teachers, activity specialists, health advisors, voluntary helpers and fitness trainers in the WharfeValley, from all sectors. The aim of this plan is not to change things that are already successful and sustainable; rather, to raise the profile of such success and provide information that will enable even more people to take advantage of the physical activity opportunities in the WharfeValley.

4.1

Compile a database of all qualified leaders, coaches, activity specialists, advisers, helpers and trainers in the Wharfe Valley (to include teachers, club coaches, private fitness instructors, voluntary workers, health sector professionals, etc). This is to draw on extensive databases that are being compiled by relevant organizations (SSP, ESP, clubs etc) on a regional and national basis.

4.2

Encourage coaching and leadership development through training courses, both sport specific and generic.

4.3

Work across sports and the various sectors to simplify routes for training, qualification and appraisal (including police andCRB checks) for all coaches and leaders, and encourage self-sufficiency in the town in terms of the training of new expertise and the development of existing expertise at all, including elite, levels in generic, technical and leadership skills.

4.4

Encourage Value the Volunteer programmes and encourage volunteers to gain qualifications in coaching, and sport administration; including first-aid, health and safety, child protection, coach protection and specialist aspects.

4.5

Create a system to identify multi-source funding streams for coaching, leadership and administration provision and training in order that those who provide the service get the support, without superfluous regulation, on a long term and sustainable basis.

5. Activity Pathways

These Action Points highlight practical policies to create a sound structure of provision for Physical activity in the WharfeValley. They form what are, in essence, the points on a map. What is also needed is some form of signposting system and/or route planner so that people from every sector of the community can find their way into Sport and Physical Activity.

The common buzz-phrase for such a system is an “activity pathway”, and there are a number of measures that can be set in place to help with this aspect.

5.1

Create clear and practical activity pathways to signpost and enable “cradle-to-grave” opportunities for all individuals of all levels of ability to pursue some form of physical activity (be it at fun level, elite level or in between) throughout their lives. This to essentially consist of the following stages for males and females: pre-school, primary school (up to 11), secondary school (up to 16), FE and HE (up to 21), adult, seniors (over 60). This to include, for both sexes and all age groups, specific elements for the integration of, and specialist activity for, all members of the community with particular, specialist and definitive needs. The Wharfe Valley has specific needs with its concentration of the “grey” population.

5.2

Ensure that facilities are open to the whole community at appropriate times (e.g., schools out of school hours and during holidays, leisure centres on bank holidays) in order that appropriate pathways can be followed on an ongoing basis.

5.3

Ensure that local and regional project managers of key sectoral initiatives are aware of the local activity pathways and are able to ensure that their programmes support and enhance (and are supported and enhanced by) such pathways (e.g. School Sport coordinators, Active Sports, NOF programmes, Gifted & Talented, Dance for Life, Positive Futures, etc).

5.4

Publicise activity pathways on all WAG and Bactive information systems, and also publish the minutes of meetings of other relevant initiatives and pathways (e.g., school curricula, Active Sports Strategies, local health targets, etc).

5.5

Liaise with relevant bodies at local, district, regional and national level to share experience of physical activity pathway development and uptake, and ensure compatibility with other complementary pathway development strategies.

6. Clubs

There are numerous clubs and organisations in the WharfeValley involved with all sorts of sport and physical activity. They exclusively amateur organisations.

They are the mainstay of sport and activity provision nationwide.

Clubs are often perceived as entities somehow “separate” from the wider community, often being seen as only for “elite” sportspeople.

Clubs are in actual fact sustainable proof of community effort, and form a potentially boundless resource in conjunction with schools the college and community groups for the realisation of physical activity pathways. Resources have been recently identified by Sport England via Active Sports to promote clubs and create suitable structures for such development.