1 - Let’s Go Outside

Archived news release from 2008

 

Dudley’s initial bid for the money through the government’s Healthy Community Challenge Fund has been successful and Dudley Council and PCT are now through to the second phase of the bid.

 

Dudley’s proposal, entitled ‘Let’s Go Outside’ aimed to encourage families to make the most of all outdoor areas by transforming parks, school sites, play areas, and nature reserves into ‘family health hubs’. The hubs would promote healthy lifestyles for all ages and help reduce the level of obesity in the borough.

 

Physical changes created through the funding would include developments on parks to promote activity such as green gyms, cycle and walking routes, outdoor gym equipment, street games, sports courts and pitches, healthy cafes, cycle racks and signage.

 

Activity programmes would also be set up in parks such as led walks, cycle trails, healthy picnics and parties and sports coaching and multi-skill sessions.

 

Safe travel connections would be created to join people’s homes to the health hubs. The ‘active travel corridors’ will be created by adding signage to existing routes and establishing new routes.

 

By transforming the physical appearance, the social environment and access to open spaces, the scheme would also aim to tackle the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour which can prevent children, families and older people from using open spaces in the borough.

 

“We are very pleased to have made it through to the second phase of the bid and are hopeful that our bid will be successful. The proposals are very exciting as they would involve physical changes to the environment which would help encourage people to use our parks and open spaces for the right reasons.”

 

“The Let’s Go Outside bid encourages people to lead healthy lifestyles. We are delighted to have made it through to the second phase and we are now putting together the details of the second phase bid. If successful, the funding would help us improve people’s health by encouraging them to use outdoor facilities and take part in a range of activities.”

 

The £4.5million of new funding would connect to more than £15million of funding already secured in the borough through schemes such as BIG’s Transforming Your Space, Liveability, Play Pathfinder status, the National LEAP pilot and the National Take 5 Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

 

The Healthy Community Challenge Fund invited towns to show innovative ways to improve health of their residents. Dudley was one of 150 bids to apply for a share of the £30million funding and is now one of 22 towns to make it through to the second phase which will be submitted by the end of September.

 

If the stage two bid is successful Dudley would move through to the final phase of the bid with overall winning bids due to be announced at the end of October.