Residents living in and around Wincanton are smashing, sliding and spinning for free, thanks to an exciting new project called ‘Sport50’.
The idea of Sport50 is to offer anyone over the age of 50 the opportunity to try a wide range of adapted sports which include new age curling, boccia, badminton, short tennis, walking rounders, croquet and basketball.
The project has been launched by South Somerset District Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team and Charlie Coward from the team explains more about Sport50: “Having launched the project last summer we were delighted with the response from different communities with sessions still running successfully in Henstridge, Mudford and Kingsdon.
“We work directly with communities to arrange the booking of the venue and then provide all the promotional materials, equipment and the qualified coach, leaving the community to simply spread the word. We have already worked with more than 130 residents and the oldest participant so far has been 94 years old!”
One of the participants in Wincanton, Rose Laurie, explained why she enjoyed the Sport50 sessions: “It’s fun and you get to exercise and meet different people. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep active during winter and Sport50 offers gentle exercise within my own limitations. The sports are versatile and adaptable and best of all it helps me to keep healthy.”
Jade Hansford, Sports Development Officer at Wincanton Sports Ground, commented: “Sport 50 is a fantastic opportunity for over 50’s to stay active and also meet new people. We are delighted to be hosting it at Wincanton Sports Ground, giving people of the local community a chance to get involved.”
Sylvia Seal, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture at South Somerset District Council said: “Sport50 has already proved to be popular in the communities where we’ve launched it.
“The beauty of the project is that we help to kickstart the activities in each community with four taster sessions and then community volunteers have stepped up and organised the sessions themselves. The Healthy Lifestyles Team is still there to provide on-going support and also to provide the equipment and funding towards venue hire.”
To find out more about Sport50 contact Charlie Coward on 01935 462347.