Sporta has released the first in a series of new themed reports called SportaPurple – to offer insight into what their members contribute to public health.
Sporta members manage more than 1,600 cultural and leisure facilities throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
The new reports have been designed to share the work of these members making it easier for stakeholders to differentiate, navigate and find specific information relating to public health.
SportaPurple highlights that, in spite of cuts in both local and central government budgets, their members are working to provide innovative responses to current challenges.
Sporta has been working to ensure that preventative physical and cultural activity opportunities continue to be promoted and developed.
Sporta members have become relevant to the commissioning and delivery of many outcomes for the new Public Health policy, including physical activity, nutrition, obesity programmes, drug and alcohol misuse, health at work and accidental injury prevention (falls).
SportaPurple also reinforces the Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) recent report The role of culture and leisure in improving health and wellbeing.
This, like SportaPurple, aims to build understanding as well as engagement with the health and wellbeing agenda.
Iain Varah, Chair of CLOA, commented: "In April 2013 the Health & Social Care Bill came into effect, fundamentally altering the way in which the healthcare system operates. At this time, local responsibility for the prevention and management of obesity transferred from PCTs to local authorities."
"Improving and protecting health and wellbeing of all while improving the health of the poorest fastest is central to the new public health role for councils. Collaboration on the health and wellbeing agenda is crucial."
"To achieve this, local authorities need to work closely with their leisure operators, voluntary groups and organisations to support them."
