British Ice Skating has joined forces with more than one hundred sporting bodies to send a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to ring fence funding for the recovery of the sports and activity sector – or risk fuelling physical inactivity and related illnesses for a generation.
British Ice Skating CEO, Michelle Draper, is one of 102 signatories to a letter that highlights the contribution of the sports and physical activity sector to society, driven by a combined workforce of more than 600,000 people.
The coalition has requested an urgent support package from the Government, as has been provided to arts and restaurant sectors, that will enable the sport and activity sector to continue to provide programmes and facilities that address the health inequalities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and support the NHS by improving health outcomes.
It has called for a “Sports Recovery Fund” to be delivered at the Comprehensive Spending Review, as part of the Better Health campaign. The fund would help protect existing jobs and facilities so that the sector can:
Support programmes and facilities that address the health inequalities highlighted by COVID-19, particularly inactivity among women, lower socio-economic groups, BAME communities and people with disabilities.
Expand the innovations across the sector that we have seen during COVID-19 – making opportunities digital and increasing accessibility across the country.
The letter delivered to the Prime Minister by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Chair of ukactive can be found here.