Wrexham families find fitness thanks to Community Chest support

A cash injection from Sport Wales, in conjunction with Wrexham County Borough Council, is helping families to get fit through sport in the Caia Park Communities First area.

Organisers of the Caia Park Family Support Group were able to invest nearly £600 worth of Community Chest funding to buy badminton and rounders equipment and pay for an instructor to give weekly salsa taster sessions.

The sports and fitness sessions are aimed at boosting the confidence of families, and particularly mothers, from the estate who wouldn't normally take part in sport. 

Pat Kearsley, from the Caia Park Family Support Group, said: "We had a starter grant from Sport Wales earlier in the year to start fitness sessions and our members have absolutely loved it. It's taken off like a rocket!

"We've had a lot of help from the Caia Park Health Group, who have set up classes and lent us equipment. But members decided that if they had their own equipment then they could take part in sport whenever they wanted.

"This is part of a wider package, that includes cooking and nutrition classes, to help improve health in the Caia Park community. We also do a weigh in each week to give an added incentive and an element of competition.

"We've had parents bringing their older children along, which we hadn't anticipated, an we've even had a few dads along. So what started off as a small private exercise class has grown and we want to keep that momentum going."

Sport Wales Regional Manager, Graham Williams, said: "We know that sport can be hugely beneficial for health, confidence and wellbeing. Our aim is to get every child hooked on sport for life, which begins with helping families, across all our communities in Wales. We are pleased to support Communities First areas, such as Caia Park, to ensure that every child has an equal chance to enjoy sport."

Cllr Bob Dutton OBE, Lead Member for Communities and Performance, said: "I'm delighted that residents in Caia Park are benefitting from Community Chest funding. Wrexham Council is committed to providing opportunities for people to be physically active and reap the health and wellbeing rewards that come along with it."

Community Chest is a Sport Wales grant scheme, run in partnership with all 22 local authorities in Wales, for community sport and physical recreation. It offers a grant of up to £1500 in any 12 month period for activities that encourage more people to become more active, more often and raises the standards of existing activities. 

For more information visit the funding and support pages at www.sportwales.org.uk.