North Herts District Council Jess Wallis Active Communities

What is the project? n Short description of the project Active Parks is part

What has the project achieved? n How have you evaluated the project? As part

Where is the project going? n Is the project sustainable? The project still has

Aspirations/dreams n If there were no limitations – where would you want this project

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North Herts District Council Jess Wallis Active Communities Officer www. north-herts. gov. uk

What is the project? n Short description of the project Active Parks is part of the Get Active North Herts CSAF project. It is a programme of physical activity classes in North Herts parks and open spaces. n Who are the service users? Anyone and everyone n What were the aims and objectives? To provide accessible, no commitment, fun and friendly sessions for inactive residents to access at low cost, mainly aimed at women. n Why did you decide to undertake this project in your area? Following the ‘Where women are’ insight from Sport England; childcare issues, cost concerns, 75% of women would like to do more! www. north-herts. gov. uk

What has the project achieved? n How have you evaluated the project? As part of our reporting to Sport England, we have had to gather data on individual participants (age, gender, disability and ethnicity) and throughput of each section and of the whole project. Year 1 = 364 participants & 1374 throughput (April-Sept) n What have been the successes? Engagement, outcomes from individuals, popularity of instructors, requests for more sessions. “The Ladies Bootcamp on Norton Common in Letchworth is fantastic! You couldn't find a better or more motivating instructor than Jackie - she is awesome and keeps everyone going with her positivity and encouragement. Participants range from teenagers to more mature ladies and everyone can work at their own pace without feeling intimidated. Everyone is really friendly and encouraging - much more social than a traditional gym class (but don't be fooled by the relaxed atmosphere - you'll still work hard, as your muscles will let you know the next day). It's great to be able to exercise outside in the fresh air and it really energises you for the rest of the day”. n What were the challenges? Finding good, approachable, reliable and knowledgeable instructors and advertising the programme at the beginning www. north-herts. gov. uk

Where is the project going? n Is the project sustainable? The project still has 15 months of Sport England funding, during which time we aim to make it sustainable. We will put prices up slightly for the final year to start to make it break even. n Are you carrying on with the project beyond the District Offer? This project was year 1 of District Offer funding and has carried on this year, and will carry on until December 2018. n Why has it been a success? Huge engagement with residents, brilliant numbers (beating our Sport England targets), lots of individual success stories from participants n Could it work in another District/Borough? Definitely. Any Authority with parks and open spaces can deliver the same project! www. north-herts. gov. uk

Aspirations/dreams n If there were no limitations – where would you want this project to head? q We would love to see the project expand further, i. e. more class types added into the programme, moving into weekend and evening times q Offering more incentives to encourage regular participation q Further marketing opportunities q A dedicated member of staff to co-ordinate and promote www. north-herts. gov. uk