It’s been just over a year since we did our last consultation. Thank you to all who took part. We thought we would just give you a bit of an update.

The data was really interesting and we received some really insightful comments. Mental health and poor health and lifestyle were identified as the biggest issues affecting both adults and children/young people in Barnsley.

Individuals with mental health problems, older people, those with long-term health conditions and young people aged 11-19 were identified as the groups needing the most support. The activities requested most frequently by respondents were adult diet and lifestyle programmes, mental health projects, football/sports sessions and opportunities to socialise.

We took onboard your comments and suggestions to develop inform and shape our provision. The following provides an overview of some of the things we did:

1. We restarted our established programmes including Fit Reds, Walking Football, Every Player Counts and our coaching clubs.
2. To improve men’s mental health, we launched the Team Talk programme which enables local men to make new friends, take some time out and socialise at weekly sessions at Oakwell Stadium.
3. We launched a range of new physical activity sessions, including Walking Football, a Walking Group and Exercise classes for Central Area residents through our Reds Connect programme.
4. We secured 2-years of funding to run our Sporting Memories sessions to support social connections, relationship building local people including those affected by early-onset dementia. 
5. We secured funding to establish our Transition with the Reds programme to provide targeted support and help to children and young people struggling to transition back into school in the North Area.     
6. We developed and ran digital sessions, including chairobics, circuits and strength and conditioning, to help local people stay active and engaged during the lockdowns.

It doesn’t stop there! We are also in process of developing some exciting new projects which include:

1. A Team Talk programme to provide weekly exercise and social sessions for women across Barnsley.
2. The Women Unite programme to enable female refugees and asylum seekers to exercise and socialise.
3. A weekly walking cricket session to keep local people active and connected

We will be launching a new consultation imminently to help us plan and shape our future provision.

We are hoping as many people as possible complete our survey which will be shared across our social media platforms. There will also be the chance to go into a draw to receive 4 match-day tickets for a home match of your choice!