Organisations taking part in the Scaling Programme, delivered in partnership with Sport England, will start the Systemise and Pilot phase, preparing to test, iterate, and deliver their replication model at scale.

The Scaling Programme supports five sports volunteering organisations to scale approaches which are successful in engaging a more diverse range of people to volunteer in sport and physical activity.

Taking place across 18 months, in this key phase of the programme organisations are taking the next step on their journey to achieve greater reach and impact. Throughout this stage, participants will work with a handful of pilot partners in order to learn more about what it takes to deliver their innovations in a new area, to prepare them for further scale in the future.

The participant organisations are drawn from Sport England’s existing pool of volunteering fund grantees, having been chosen for their potential. Participants have developed a strong vision for what their projects would look like at scale. Their ambitions and approaches to scaling include:

• Active Life for a Healthier You, scaling the impact of She’s Ready, a movement of women empowering women to be more active. Building on their success in Southend, Active Life wants to take She’s Ready nationwide.
• British Blind Sport, scaling the impact of See My Voice (SMV), a programme offering young people a leadership qualification and supporting them to develop a range of skills and to undertake volunteering roles. British Blind Sport wants to work with aligned partners to increase the number of young disabled people who can access the SMV Programme across the UK, empowering individuals to develop leadership skills and use volunteering and sport to realise their own potential.
• Cheshire Wildlife Trust, scaling the impact of the Wellbeing with Nature approach, wants to reach new audiences and new locations across Cheshire and the North West, helping individuals and policymakers to recognise the transformative power of nature in improving wellbeing.
• Cycling Projects, scaling the impact of its Wheels for All centres, an initiative which engages people with disabilities in cycling across many regions of England. The organisation aims to normalise and increase access to inclusive cycling, by setting up new Wheels for All centres and expanding the reach of the programme.
• YMCA Sutton Coldfield (in partnership with YMCA England and Wales) scaling the impact of Girls Move, a sports volunteering programme which helps BAME girls from low socio/economic backgrounds grow confidence and motivation. The organisation seeks to improve the health and life opportunities for BAME girls by scaling the programme to local YMCAs. They are also considering scaling through disseminating an open source toolkit produced and maintained by YMCA.

Kristen Natale, Head of Volunteering at Sport England said:

“We’re thrilled to see these five groups reach this important milestone on their journey to scaling their impact. This plays a key role in our aim to ensure that successful, ambitious projects are replicated, to deliver wider change and lead to an increase in inclusive volunteering opportunities and inclusive physical activity.

“National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK and we’re excited to use some of this money to support the Scaling Programme. Our mission is to build a nation where everyone, everywhere feels able to get active in a way that’s right for them.”

Mohamed Osman, UK Director at Spring Impact said:

“This is a really exciting phase of the Scaling Programme, as it takes these mission-driven organisations one step closer to increasing their reach and impact. Each participant’s innovation is vital to ensuring many other volunteers and communities can benefit from sport and physical activity across England.

The next stage of our partnership and support will see organisations testing and evaluating their replication model, which will help ensure their approach is ready to be delivered at scale and positively transform many more lives.”

About Sport England

Sport England is a public body and invests up to £300 million National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport.

It wants everyone in England, regardless of age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity. That’s why a lot of its work is specifically focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active – like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes.

About The National Lottery

Thanks to National Lottery players, up to £600 million has been made available to support communities throughout the UK during the Coronavirus crisis. National Lottery players raise £30m every week for good causes, funding arts, heritage, sports, voluntary and charity projects around the UK.

For more information on good causes in your area go to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk