Closing the Gap Wins National Award

National Recognition for Innovation in Stoke-on-Trent

Closing the Gap a pioneering sport & physical activity programme led by the Stoke-on-Trent Local Strategic Partnership has received national recognition by winning the Municipal Journals prestigious ‘Promoting Active Communities Achievement of the Year’ award beating 52 other Local Authorities in the process.  

Closing the Gap whilst hosted by the City Council is based around a strong partnership with Staffordshire University and the Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust.  The programme seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of some of the city’s most excluded young people through increasing levels of participation in sport & physical activity.  This is achieved through a unique approach focused on building the ability of a wide range of partner organisations to utilise sport & physical activity as an effective and sustainable tool instead of directly providing more traditional and often unsustainable programmes of activity.

The award focuses on the programmes pilot project worked closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council's residential units for looked after children.  This achieved a significant shift in organisational practice and culture and through this had a positive impact on the experiences of this highly excluded group of young people. 

Elected Mayor Mark Meredith said: "We are delighted and proud that the work of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Sport and Leisure Service has been recognised in such a way.  We want everyone in this City to have a better quality of life and sport is beneficial in so many ways. Closing The Gap is an innovative and progressive project which has justly been recognised in this way."

Paul Ryan from Staffordshire University said "This is a very big project for the area and it makes everyone proud to be involved in such a success."

Closing the Gap is a five year initiative that has been made possible through funding provided both by local partners and the National Lottery via Sport England & the Big Lottery Funds joint Active England programme.

For more information contact:

Andrew Heaward the Programme Manager on 01782 235706 or alternatively via email at andrew.heaward@stoke.gov.uk