We know that being active helps with our physical health but it also has an impact on our mental health. Taking part in sport can:
- build strong social networks
- help people to feel more connected to where they live
- build self esteem
- develop social skills
- increase our confidence
All of these can transfer and impact on other parts of life.
Dorset is lucky to have a wide range of opportunities to help us keep active, whether that is informally outdoors with friends and family or participating in organised activity at one of the many clubs or sports centres around the county.
Dorset Council and other local and national bodies have resources to help these organisations and this page provides information on the support available.
Supporting sport organisations in Dorset
Please see the information on the following organisations that could help sports clubs and physical activity providers:
- the Sports Development Team at Dorset Council can provide advice and support, including grants. The team will be working with other colleagues on delivering the outcomes in the leisure strategy that is due to be launched in 2025. They also manage sports leaders and coaches and have a wide range of equipment that can be hired
- Active Dorset: An active partnership that are funded by Sport England. They work with others to create conditions for an active nation. Organisations can register to receive useful regular updates and can also add session/club details onto their database so residents can find out about where to get active in Dorset
- Dorset Community Action: Community Advisors can offer consultancy and bespoke advice to help organisations achieve their objectives
- Community Action Network: provides, support, development opportunities and training to help the voluntary sector thrive
- Volunteer Centre Dorset: local charities or organisations that involve volunteers can find everything they need to recruit, manage and support volunteers
- Governing bodies of sport: a list of governing bodies can be found on the Sport England website
- Town and Parish Councils: see a list of Dorset town and parish councils
Funding
We have two grant schemes that can support sports and physical activity. These are:
- Capital Leverage Fund: for capital projects, providing funding between £1,000 and £25,000 to a maximum of 20% of the total project cost
- Community and Culture Project Fund: this fund can award grants of up to £5,000 to a maximum of 80% of the total project cost and is for revenue projects
Dorset Fundfinder is a tool which enables Dorset's community organisations to search and browse funding, grants and information. Groups will need to register for an account before they can begin searching and signing up for regular updates.
If you would like to receive information from time to time then please send an email to the contact below stating the name of the organisation that you represent and we will add you to our mailing list.