Between April 2020 and September 2023, Sport England partnered with a network of organisations to deliver the Together Fund (previously known as the Tackling Inequalities Fund). 

This initiative was designed to provide access to physical activity for four priority audiences disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic:

• disabled people,
• individuals with long-term health conditions,
• lower socio-economic groups,
• and culturally diverse communities.

The Together Fund aimed not only to offer support to grassroots community organisations but also to enhance their survival and resilience during challenging times.

An evaluation report highlighting the huge positive impact, the key themes and learnings has been released.

National highlights:

• 81 partners
• 3700 projects

Local impact in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin:

• We supported 46 projects across 39 organisations with small grant funding.
• We provided resilience support and development opportunities to 32 additional organisations.

Here are two of the many success stories:

• Faye's Tai Chi Friends: This group, established during the pandemic to combat loneliness and physical inactivity through Tai Chi, benefitted from mentoring and training support. The mentoring was pivotal in helping Faye develop a membership programme and improve the financial sustainability of the group. Read more about Faye's journey here.
• Yoga for Ukrainian Refugees: Grant funding enabled yoga classes to offer much-needed mindful respite to Ukrainian refugees. One participant shared, “I missed my yoga classes in Ukraine and felt very low. But after these yoga sessions, I am full of positive energy and feel much better.” Read more about this initiative here.

You can read more case studies and about the local impact here.

We held a celebration event earlier this year to showcase and share the huge impact which has been made by recent funding from Sport England, across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.