Case studies

Building on the success of the national “This Girl Can Campaign” from Sport England, Tower Hamlets developed a local digital campaign to inspire women and girls to participate in sports and physical activity, and to promote the range of activities available to them in the borough.

A mother was referred to the Physical Activity Social Prescribing service in her area by her GP for back pain. She was six months pregnant, solo parenting her toddler and living on the top floor of her block of flats. Life was physically tough, and she also felt very isolated. A Physical Activity Link Worker contacted the mother, and helped to put in place solutions.

For Muslim women exercising around men is often discouraged due to modesty and practicalities of clothing. Palmer Park Leisure Centre had an underutilised space which has been transformed into a programmable gym space, with designated female only hours

Women and girls are typically less active than their male counterparts, with four in 10 women not active enough to ensure they get the full benefits of physical activity. Yet research suggest that women benefit more than men from physical activity.

Trafford Council have used the legacy of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 as a huge opportunity for women and girls across Trafford to engage in a healthy lifestyle through football.

Worcestershire’s community grant programme has enabled hyperlocal projects aimed at increasing levels of physical activity for women and girls to be developed.

National children’s charity, the Youth Sport Trust worked collaboratively with Active Partners Trust (APT) to develop and deliver a programme of intervention to schools in targeted communities, to increase engagement and enjoyment of physical activity.

The programme offers small group training for six to eight people. The idea is that six friends access the programme and are ‘taught’ by a personal trainer how to train together as a group using any equipment and any venue. They then are encouraged to continue this after the six-week programme to provide support and motivation for one another

The Right to the Streets project explored community actions to make streets and public spaces safer and more welcoming for women and girls so they feel a sense of belonging in their community and are able to live active lives.

In Sefton, the provider Mersey Care's health visiting services have embarked on an evolving journey, to address deep rooted challenges such as poverty, health inequalities and logistical complexities of service delivery across a diverse borough.