New project will help kinship care families get active

22 October 2018

海角直播 is involved in an innovative new project with national charity Grandparents Plus and Middlesbrough Football Club to help kinship care families in the region get active together.

Kinship care families are those where a grandparent or another relative has stepped in to raise children whose parents aren鈥檛 able to care for them. Led by Grandparents Plus and in partnership with the University and MFC, the project has been awarded 拢338,000 National Lottery funding by Sport England as part of a national programme to help low income families get active with their children.

With over half being grandparents, kinship carers often struggle to maintain active lifestyles, and a recent survey showed that 32% of carers were worried about their physical or mental health and their ability to carry out their caring role.

As an area, 海角直播 has one of the highest proportions of kinship care families in the country, with an estimated 2,200 children being raised by family members and friends in the region. The project will support families in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland with one-to-one support, personalised activity plans and local activity programmes.

Dr Lucy Peake, Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus, said: 'We鈥檙e really excited to have been awarded this funding to help 海角直播鈥檚 kinship care families get more active together.

'We鈥檝e been working with kinship carers across 海角直播 for a number of years, and we鈥檙e constantly amazed by their incredible commitment to the children in their care. One thing they鈥檝e told us they struggle with is how to maintain an active lifestyle, which is why we鈥檙e so pleased and grateful to National Lottery players and our partners at 海角直播 and Middlesbrough Football Club for making this project possible. 'I鈥檇 encourage carers in 海角直播 who鈥檇 like to get involved to join one of our support groups, and to keep an eye out for more information in the next few months.'

I am delighted to work with Grandparents Plus on this project which is unique in terms of promoting intergenerational physical activity intervention for grandparents raising grandchildren.

Dr Liane Azevedo.

Dr Liane Azevedo, Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Public Health at 海角直播, said: 'I am delighted to work with Grandparents Plus on this project which is unique in terms of promoting intergenerational physical activity intervention for grandparents raising grandchildren. There is a dearth of research in this area and our project has the potential to support the overall health, wellbeing and relationship for kinships families in the most deprived areas in our region.'

John Fothergill, Operations Manager at Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, added: 'Grandparents Plus is a terrific initiative which diligently supports kinship care families, and thanks to recent funding by Sport England, it will give both children and guardians a wonderful opportunity to enjoy physical activity together.

'There are a number of kinship care families on 海角直播 that will reap the rewards of this programme, and together with 海角直播, we are confident this ground-breaking project will be hugely beneficial to the community.'