Over £90,000 has been awarded to local sports clubs and community groups through the latest round of Merton Council’s Borough of Sport grants programme, creating even more ways for residents to get active.
Now in its third year, 13 organisations have successfully secured funding to provide free and low-cost sport and physical activity opportunities across the borough.
This year’s grants will help local groups turn their bright ideas into new community projects, grow existing initiatives and remove barriers for residents of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to being active.
This latest round of grants will provide:
- More opportunities for women and girls to get active, including non-contact boxing classes in Wimbledon and supportive fitness programmes in Mitcham.
- More support for young people in schools, from a trampolining club in Raynes Park to top-up swimming lessons for children from low-income families.
- New ways to get moving closer to home, including a ‘Yogalates’ pilot for older adults, weekly salsa classes at Morden Hall Park and expanded inclusive cricket opportunities for people living with dementia.
Councillor Caroline Cooper-Marbiah, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Heritage, said:
As London’s first Borough of Sport, we want to make sure everyone in Merton, no matter their age, ability or background, has plenty of opportunities to be active.
Our Borough of Sport grants are a key part of achieving this mission, so I’m delighted to see even more local groups benefitting from this funding. As well as creating inclusive, accessible, free or low-cost opportunities for residents to stay active, these grants help local groups flourish by expanding their offers and developing new skills.
Becoming a Borough of Sport wouldn’t be possible without Merton’s passionate grassroots organisations, and I’m excited to see how these projects inspire people to discover the joy of moving more.
Over the past three years, the Borough of Sport grants programme has funded more than 50 physical activity projects across Merton, helping residents discover activities like hockey, basketball, dance, fitness classes, adapted sports and fishing.
Previous grant recipients are already demonstrating the difference this funding can make. Last year, Merton Empowerment CIC secured one of these grants to set up Mitcham Trike Club, a volunteer-led, social three-wheel cycling club.
These inclusive weekly trike rides are helping older adults stay active, build confidence and make new connections.
Carol Warren, Founder of Merton Empowerment CIC, said:
It’s been so rewarding to see how the cyclists support each other, growing in confidence and feeling happier.
Thanks to Borough of Sport grant funding, we’ve also got more volunteers supporting us, helping us bring this much-needed activity to more Merton residents. We’re proud that Mitcham Trike Club is part of Merton’s Borough of Sport journey!
The bidding and funding process for this year’s grants was once again managed by our partners at Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation for Merton’s largest social housing provider, Clarion Housing Group.
Shelley Hathway-Batt, Director of Clarion Futures, said:
We’re pleased to continue partnering with Merton Council on the Borough of Sport grants programme, managing the application and funding process to help these local organisations bring people together, build confidence and improve wellbeing across the borough.
Local groups know their communities and understand the difficulties that exist for people to take part in sport and physical activity. This funding will help them reach more residents, whether that’s through swimming lessons for children, boxing sessions for women and girls or inclusive activities for older people.
Funding decisions were made by Merton Council and community representatives from the Borough of Sport Advisory Group.
See the full list of successful organisations
- AFC Wimbledon Foundation: Expanding their female-only sport and social sessions at Phipps Bridge Youth Centre. Designed for girls aged eleven to 18, this project will combine football, social activities and educational workshops to build confidence and skills on and off the pitch.
- Age UK Merton: Weekly chair-based exercise classes for older adults, with a focus on getting more under-represented groups, such as unpaid carers and diverse ethnicities, involved in fun, sociable sessions.
- Community Cricket CIC: Creating opportunities for people living with dementia at the Eastway Centre to get involved in inclusive cricket. They will also start running monthly events to bring different inclusive sports groups together, helping people of different ages and backgrounds connect through sport.
- Merton RFC: Over the summer, the club ran weekly inclusive circuit fitness, touch and walking rugby sessions for adults of all abilities. Building on the success of these low-cost, accessible sessions, the club is now looking to upskill future coaching staff from Merton.
- Merton School Sports Partnership: Supporting pupils from low-income and under-represented families in three Merton schools around swimming. They will help 90 children by delivering top-up swimming lessons, providing essential swim kits and helping them build life-saving water safety skills.
- Mitcham Town Community Trust: Expanding their popular ‘First Steps Dance Club’ to new cohorts of young people, prioritising those with special educational needs. This will create new opportunities for more children to experience the joy of shared physical activity and performance.
- Morden Hall Park: ‘Salsa for All’ will bring the local community, including over-65s, women and minority ethnic groups, together at this popular National Trust site to discover the power of dance with weekly salsa classes. These sessions will be delivered in collaboration with Salsa Got Soul.
- Rathbone Amateur Boxing Club: ‘Females #FightTogether’ is bringing female-only, non-contact boxing sessions to Wimbledon. Aimed at women and girls who are currently inactive or are looking for new ways to get into boxing, these fun, engaging sessions will give attendees a greater sense of community.
- Sean McInnes Sports Coaching: Supporting local schools to access specialist SEND sports coaches, unlocking the benefits of sport for all our borough’s young people, regardless of their ability.
- South Mitcham Community Association: ‘Workouts for Women’ will support and improve people’s physical wellbeing with three weekly fitness sessions in Mitcham. These sessions will include cardio, free weights, circuit training, walks, gentle runs and core training, offering something for everyone.
- Ursuline High School: Buying the relevant equipment and further training coaches to establish a trampolining club, helping all pupils attending this Wimbledon school discover a fun and different way of staying active.
- WAM Community: A six-month wellbeing programme for women in Merton. Delivered at Canons Leisure Centre, this project’s weekly sessions will combine inclusive physical activity, led by a female instructor, with one-to-one listening support, improving people’s confidence and removing barriers to staying active.
- Wimbledon Guild: Piloting a new ‘Yogalates’ class and extending their walking tennis and tai chi classes for older adults. This will help the Guild continue to grow their range of age-appropriate, adapted exercise classes for older people, helping them maintain their independence and reduce their risk of falls.