VAS collaborates to grow active communities.
Exercise improves mental health and general well-being, but not everyone has the chance to be active. Move More Connecting Communities is a project in which
VAS is collaborating with Yorkshire Sport, Sheffield Hallam University, and Sheffield City Council to support people living and working in Sheffield communities to have a voice in designing how physical movement can be embedded in everyday life.
The communities identified for this project are Tinsley and Carbrook, Jordanthorpe and Batemoor, Parkwood and Shirecliffe.
Using a community organising approach, VAS staff are hosting a series of conversations with a focus on:
Physical activity is not just about exercise but the joy of movement.
Positive past experiences of being active.
What a healthy neighbourhood looks like.
People can get involved by having one-to-one conversations or attending one of the community gatherings planned for later this year.
This project is also a pilot on how agencies can work together to grow community-led initiatives. Sheffield Hallam is evaluating Move More Connecting Communities to create a model of working across multiple agencies. The hope is this will support future collaboration across the city.