A leading Derby charity has won a major national award for encouraging the city's most deprived area to become more physically active. The programme has a strong focus on working with the Muslim community, who face significant barriers to becoming more active.
DE23 Active, a programme led by Community Action Derby, won the Community Group of the Year at the British Muslim Awards, beating a packed and quality nomination field to the award. Helen Britten, programme lead at Community Action Derby, said: "We were in the company of some amazing finalists so to be recognised nationally with this award is a great honour and reflects the impact the programme has had. The key is making activity accessible and empowering those within the community to take control and promote change from within."
DE23 Active, which is part of the national 'Active Through Football' programme, works in Normanton and Arboretum and took an innovative approach early on to broaden its offer from just football to fully engage the community. As well as football sessions, it has promoted chair-based exercise, chill and chai sessions, and one of the country's only Muslim women-only swimming sessions, held at Everyone Active's Moorways Sports Village.
The programme began in 2022 with a grant of £525,000 and has flourished since, splitting into three key groups: women, men, and the golden generation. Key to its success is supporting the community with training opportunities, a chance to get qualifications, and access to practical support through guest speakers and workshops, so that community volunteers run the sessions themselves.
The programme is supported by a consortium of partners including Active Derbyshire, Community Action, Community One, Derby County Community Trust, Derby City Council, Derbyshire FA, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, and Press Red. Amjad Ashraf, programme lead and founder of Community One, commented: "This award is a reflection of the real impact happening on the ground - supporting our communities to become more physically active by removing the barriers that have existed for far too long. From tackling inequalities and unconscious bias to creating safe, inclusive spaces, DE23 Active is about making participation accessible, leading to more active lifestyles possible for everyone."
He added that the Football Foundation and Sport England-funded project was about promoting 'healthy, more connected and more resilient communities'. The British Muslim Awards is one of the most prestigious events in the British Muslim community, recognising and celebrating the achievements and contributions of British Muslims in various fields.
Kim Harper, chief officer at Community Action, commented: "Winning the award is testament to the dedication and creativity of our team, partners, and our residents in Derby. DE23 Active is a brilliant example of how we can achieve more when we work together." The DE23 Active team were presented with the award at a glittering ceremony in Wolverhampton. For more information about DE23 Active, visit the website at www.de23active.org.uk.
