Personal Best Foundation receives BOOST to Launch Athletics Hub in Birmingham

The Personal Best Foundation has secured funding from BOOST Charitable Trust to launch a new Community Athletics Hub at Clifton Primary School in Birmingham, delivered in partnership with Street Futures. The Hub builds on the success of a recent pilot, giving children the chance to enjoy funetics, England Athletics’ fun and inclusive athletics-based programme.

Empowering Children Through Athletics

The Hub will provide children aged 5-11yrs from Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East, one of the city’s most deprived wards with free, safe, weekly athletics sessions delivered at a trusted school site that is open to the wider community. Sessions use the fundamentals of run, jump, and throw, to support physical and mental well-being, building confidence, increasing a sense of belonging and developing a lifelong love of activity. The programme will be delivered by Street Futures, a passionate local partner committed to creating more opportunities for local children.

The pilot earlier this year demonstrated strong demand for funetics, with more than 71 children taking part and 220 attendances across an eight-week period. Thanks to this new funding, these children, and many more from the local community will now benefit from sustained access to the programme.

Tackling Inequality in Physical Activity

In this particular area, a high percentage of pupils face the challenges of poverty, lack of opportunity, health inequalities and limited access to high quality physical activity, particularly outside of the school day.

Pupil and parent feedback suggests that families are sometimes reluctant to take part in formal activities outside the community or informal activities in public parks due to safety concerns.

The launch of the Community Athletics Programme Hub at Clifton Primary School, is designed to close the physical inactivity gap by offering regular opportunities to be active, develop skills and enjoy sport in a safe and supportive environment.

The programme will also give young people the chance to train as future coaches and leaders, volunteering within the programme, offering peer-to-peer support and developing skills that will benefit their own future careers.

Sarah Johnson, Trust Manager, BOOST

"We are delighted to be supporting the Personal Best Foundation in providing opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in athletics. We share their passion about the importance of physical activity for the physical and mental health of children and the power of sport to change lives. We are excited to be partnering with them on this project."

Amy Murtagh, Programme Manager at Personal Best Foundation, said:

''We know from the pilot that children loved being part of funetics and it was clear that having the chance to continue was just as important. Thanks to BOOST Charitable Trust, we can now make sure that children in Sparkbrook and Balsall Health East have the opportunity to sustain their participation week after week, building healthy habits, confidence and a positive relationship with sport and physical activity.''

We’re incredibly grateful to BOOST Charitable Trust for their support and excited to continue and develop our partnership with Street Futures to deliver this transformative project.