GPA0020
Written evidence submitted by Energise Me
Who are Energise Me?
Energise Me is a charity that champions physical activity for all in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
We are working hard to make it easier for everyone to move more. Our goal is to create a happier, healthier and stronger future for local people. We won’t rest until everyone has the confidence, support and opportunity to be active on their own terms.
Physical activity transforms lives. Our work is helping people to reduce their risk of major illnesses and depression. With your help, we are enabling communities to thrive. But we still have a long way to go.
We are one of 42 Active Partnerships who work with partners to create an active nation. We are one of Sport England’s system partners who tactically create opportunities for people to get active for physical, mental social and economic outcomes. Our strategy is aligned to that of Government’s Sporting Future and Sport England’s Uniting the Movement
Our reason for submitting this evidence is to demonstrate that using data, insight and investment to address inequalities in physical activity amongst under-represented groups and communities, behaviour change can be affected.
Data and Insight
In 2017, Energise Me identified that the proportion of females who were inactive across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was much higher than men (22.3% vs 19.7%). The trend suggested the gap was widening even further. This was not the case nationally.
What else did we know about females in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight?
Socio-economic groups
There’s a significantly higher proportion of inactive females from lower social grades compared to higher social grades.
The proportion of inactive females in higher social grades is growing. This group appears to be driving the rising trend across the whole female population and also the rising trend among the higher social grades.
Caring responsibilities
There is an increasing proportion of inactive females with children under the age of 15 in the household.
Age groups
The only age group with a declining trend of female inactivity is 16-25 years.
The age group with the second lowest levels of inactivity is 35-44 years but their trend appears to be rising.
The trend for all other age groups is flat or rising. Of concern are the age groups 26-34 years and 45-54 years.
Rising levels of female inactivity are not limited to specific demographic age groups. It is a problem across the board, which is why we’ve made inactive females a priority. This will enable us to work across social grades, age groups, ethnicities and geographies.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Physical Activity Strategy 2017-21
The strategy set an ambition to reverse the trend in levels of female activity. It set out a challenge to work differently. It was a framework for all organisations to play a role supporting priority audiences to get active / move more. We needed to learn how to change behaviour and be led by the evidence of what works and what doesn’t, recognising failure as an important part of learning. We had to find as many different ways of beating inactivity as there are different causes.
This strategy provided a framework for all organisations involved in the development and co-ordination of physical activity and sport across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton (‘our area’).
This strategy was the first time that we recognised that the public, private and voluntary sectors had a role to play in the delivery of the vision “to beat inactivity”, be it increasing access to active opportunities or influencing social norms and values. Policy makers, planners, community workers and residents themselves had to focus on helping people make healthy choices by committing to a combination of strategies that targeted the complex causes of inactivity. We introduced the socio-ecological model below to show how layers of influence intersect to shape a person's physical activity choices. The different parts of the system need to interact to make the change needed.
The role of Energise Me
Energise Me is the lead organisation for physical activity and sport across our area. As an independent charity, it can provide cross-sector leadership and objectivity to challenge the status quo. Energise Me said it would support any organisation who wanted to help beat inactivity.
Energise Me’s focus was to encourage the adoption of this strategy and the framework it provides to bring about a transformational change in levels of inactivity.
Energise Me does not compete for funding but supports its partners to secure investment by sharing expertise, knowledge and insight.
Energise Me will:
Advocate for physical activity through effective strategic engagement, networking, lobbying and brokering
Facilitate collaboration and innovation across the whole system to drive implementation of this strategy
Bring investment into the area to support the delivery of this strategy
Be the physical activity behaviour insight hub, sharing and commissioning research and interpreting what it means for the implementation of the strategy
Lead behaviour change learning and practices to help partners focus on this as a definition of success
Support partners to grow and develop the diverse workforce needed to meet the new challenges in this strategy
Work with local partners to develop action plans which reflect local priorities to deliver against the ambitions of this strategy
Coordinate targeted marketing and communications to inspire behaviour change
The role of Partners the strategy was a ‘call to arms’ asking partners to adopt the principles of the strategy and applying them in their own organisations. Partners should lead the way in their communities, applying behaviour change theory, being person and customer centred, using robust evaluation and collaborating with others to beat inactivity.
What Energise Me did
A selection of examples from our annual impact reports.
Growing Together
When you have a baby, coping with the physical changes and the toll it takes on your body is tough enough – but add trying to exercise into that mix? It’s a challenge that, for a lot of women, is overwhelming and impractical.
Family Matters
For younger mums, having a baby leaves them at a higher risk of poor educational achievement, poor physical and mental wellbeing, social isolation and poverty. We know that exercise can have a positive impact on these areas. We also know that if a mum has a positive attitude towards sport and activity, then they’re helping their child to love it too. The fantastic This Girl Can campaign celebrates and encourages women at every level to embrace sport and activity without shame – get back to it, clear your mind, put your game face on! Becoming a mum often also means that you don’t quite reach your pre-parenthood activity levels. We wanted to help mums to get up and get access to exercise that fits in with their lives. We want to change their lives, and their families’ lives too.
This Mum Can
We reached out to Yellow Brick Road Projects, a charity that supports young people to become more independent. They connected us with a group of young mums aged 17 to 27 years in Andover who, for a variety of different reasons, were low in confidence and weren’t doing regular physical activity. We worked with the group to chat about the barriers, which so many mums must be experiencing: • Costs • Finding childcare • Getting there • Having the right outfit • Lacking confidence • Finding the time
Sportivate Funding
With the help of Sportivate funding, we teamed up with Andover Leisure Centre to offer the mums a free weekly activity with a free crèche place for 10 weeks. Unfortunately, it was too much of a leap for some, so we headed back to the drawing board. It became obvious that we needed to change two things: the venue and finding the right person to deliver the session.
We found Fiona who came and delivered a Dance Fit session at the Children’s Centre as part of their regular weekly Young Mums Matter session.
Everyone was at ease with the setting which meant familiarity and no fear of judgement, alongside the added bonus of an onsite crèche. Fiona was 100% the right person for the role; with a young family herself, she really understood what the ladies were going through and was able to be a fantastic support for their confidence and self-esteem.
There was a sense of anxiousness in the air to begin with but taking things slowly, talking about how they felt and giving them the freedom to take things at their own pace meant that everyone was dressed and raring to go as the weeks went on.
Sessions were also becoming the talk of the group, which saw some new faces joining. The classes were completely unique and full of great energy from everyone and plenty of giggles!
When given the option to take a break or have another track, they all opted for another track!
By the end of it, many of the ladies had the confidence to suggest tracks and even lead their own dances! The change in the group was huge and they were all keen to keep it up.
Making a difference
The mums were the driving force taking the project forward and Yellow Brick Road Projects worked with them to look at how they could make sure they kept active. They couldn’t cover the cost of Fiona, but were determined to continue their hard work. One of the girls arranged for a voluntary personal trainer to come in and run some sessions.
Since working with them, we’re thrilled to hear that three ladies have gained the confidence to attend one of Fiona’s Dance Fit sessions in the community.
We wanted women, including mums, to be able to embrace physical activity no matter how well they do it, what they look like or how red they are.
What participants reported
“One of the ladies in the group was particularly anxious, extremely low in confidence and worried about her weight. As a result of taking part in this project, she noticeably grew in confidence, lost weight and became fitter. She was really supportive and encouraging to others taking part, smiling more, far happier in herself and bonding more with her child. She has continued to exercise, now going regularly to the gym, and has become far more independent.”
“(I feel) more motivated to get out and keep fit.”
“(I have) more confidence and I’m feeling happy to do exercise.”
“Sessions have been lots of fun. I’ve made new friends and had a laugh.”
Influencing health and wellbeing strategy
The Hampshire Health and Wellbeing Strategy was refreshed at the start of 2019. The previous version contained no references to the role physical activity can play in the wellbeing of Hampshire residents. We joined forces with Public Health to make the case for the inclusion of physical activity in the revised strategy.
Throughout 2018/19, we worked closely with Public Health to raise the profile of physical activity in relation to population health. We used the evidence base behind the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Physical Activity Strategy to influence the content and development of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The 2019-2024 Health and Wellbeing Strategy includes physical activity in 3 of the 4 key priority areas. It is referenced as part of the prevent strategy in every part of the life course: starting well, living well and ageing well. This shift in strategy has increased our influence within the health sector. It has paved the way for us to work with Public Health and the Programme Manager to incorporate physical activity actions into the overall action plan for the Health and Wellbeing Board. This signals a new chapter in working together to create happier, healthier and stronger communities
501 inactive women supported to begin new activities
Supporting women to be active
On average, women are less likely than men to do the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. We launched two new projects in 2019/2020 to help local women move more.
Our Mystery Shopper project connected women with activities that inspired them to be active. After just 8 weeks of taking part, they reported increased confidence and better physical and mental health.
Meanwhile, our Walking for Health project used Facebook ads to raise awareness of health walks and match women to their nearest walks. The ads were paired with a digital chat service to answer questions and concerns that might prevent women from joining a walk. The two projects supported over 500 women, who had previously struggled to be active, to find new activities. They also equipped us with insight to drive positive change in our sector.
Using what women told us to influence change
We met some incredible women through our projects last year. Each of them taught us a lot about things that stop women from being active. We used their words to prompt change. Our Mystery Shoppers showed us how difficult it was for them to find activities. They told us what they liked and didn’t like about the marketing of clubs and classes. And they shared their honest experiences from taking part in sessions. Their words were powerful. So, we shared what they’d told us with activity providers through one-to-one meetings and workshops.
As a result, website descriptions have changed and buddy systems are being introduced. There are now fewer barriers preventing women from joining activities.
When we first met them, these women told us they lacked motivation and confidence. We couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve achieve
“Being active has brought me happiness and new froiends” Mystery Shopper, Havant
“They were visibly more confident. It was amazing to see.” Mystery Shoppers Project Lead
“My mood is better and I am falling asleep easier.” Mystery Shopper
“I’ve realised our website only talks to current members and they’re all on social media. There’s nothing there to welcome new people. That needs to change.” Marketing Workshop Participant
The publication of Active Lives Data for 2018-19 evidenced that improvements in female inactivity levels had seen the gender inequality gap almost disappear. We took all that we had learned over the 4 years of our strategy and began work on the next strategy that would tackle inactivity and inequalities across our geography.
We invited people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to have a conversation with us to tell us what
We Can Be Active is a joint mission to inspire and support active lifestyles so we can all be active in a way that suits us.
We Can Be Active began with a big online conversation open to everyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Local people told us what helps them to be active and what gets in the way. We matched these comments with evidence from around the world before bringing individuals and organisations together to help shape a plan to make it easier for us all to be active.
The resulting strategy was created by over 800 individuals and organisations.
I couldn’t finish this evidence better than this. “Journey to Health” was an original, collaborative project using Opening School Facilities and Tackling Inequalities investment. It is a fantastic example of what collaboration can do for people and communities, in this case women and communities (one of our most inactive communities in Hampshire). Some #boldleaders made this happen, including Susan Parish MBE This video was shared by the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board in June 2022: https://vimeo.com/710816344
September 2022
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