Sudhan Welfare Society set up two new health projects to tackle inequalities in Crawley

Crawley Run Crew and Sudhan Welfare Society were awarded National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund which aims to tackle inequalities in activity levels through working with its partners to reach those most in need as a result of the impact of Covid-19.

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The funding award, administered through Active Sussex, will allow Crawley Run Crew and Sudhan Welfare Society to deliver on local projects across the borough.

The first, in partnership with Crawley Run Crew and the Crawley Health and Wellbeing team, led by Coach Semeena is a walking group for women over the age of 50 from the South Asian community. It’s a structured walking programme to help individuals become confident in walking locally for leisure. The group meet every Saturday in Tilgate Park at 10am and funding will provide walking shoes, walking poles and pedometers for participants.

“We are honoured to have been given this funding as it’s so important that everyone, regardless of age, background or level of ability feel able to engage in physical activity. Being a close-knit community who have been isolated since lockdown began in March 2020, it’s so rewarding to have the opportunity to lead this programme and see them with their peers again. Walking 30 minutes a day does wonders for your overall health and mental wellbeing.” said Semeena Khan, Vice Chair of Sudhan Welfare Society and Coach at Crawley Run Crew.

Shelley Meyern, Vice Chair and Coach of Crawley Run Crew said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this funding to make a difference to the lives of the local people of Crawley. Since we launched in 2016, Crawley Run Crew has gone from strength to strength and we pride ourselves on being an all-ability club, with our members at the heart of what we do. This funding will allow us to reach out even further to help those most impacted by Covid-19.”

The second project is delivering men’s volleyball sessions for the South Asian community every Wednesday at Ifield Community College from 6:30-8:30pm. Funding secured will go towards paying the venue costs up until March 2022.

Waqas Hafiz, Treasurer of Sudhan Welfare Society said: “Having started volleyball after the pandemic has been really refreshing. It was so good to see such an amazing turnout at the same time it brought some great memories of friends and family that are no longer with us.”

Sport England’s work and contribution to Tackling Inequalities focuses on reducing the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity levels in under-represented groups, ensuring gaps between those who are active and those who are not do not widen during this period.

This funding and support will enable community groups working with target audiences – Lower Socio-Economic Groups, Black, Asian Minority Ethnic Communities, Disabled People and People with Long-Term Health Conditions (LTC) – to continue to exist and engage with their communities with a view to keeping them active during both the lockdown and early recovery stages.

For more details on any of these projects contact Semeena Khan at Sudhan Welfare Society [email protected]