EMBRACING THE MOVEMENT TO TACKLE HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN GRANGETOWN

As Community Enterprise Manager for the charity Future Regeneration of Grangetown (FROG), Lynn Pallister is embracing the You’ve Got This movement for the long-term benefits of the community.

Changing lives

The community of Grangetown is the most deprived ward in Redcar and Cleveland and the sixth most deprived ward in England. Like other communities in South Tees, the town suffers high rates of obesity and low life expectancy. Through their activities, Lynn and the team at FROG seek to sustain and enhance the regeneration of Grangetown, provide volunteering and employment opportunities and deliver community initiatives. These aims are complemented by the objectives of You’ve Got This. 

“I wanted to be involved in the You’ve Got This movement because of its vision to create real change in people’s lives. What they are doing is much bigger than simply getting active through the usual routes such as keep fit classes, swimming and playing sports. Those things are important but we need to look at health on a much wider scale. I believe You’ve Got This is building much stronger foundations for the future health of our communities and in time will begin to play a key role in addressing the underlying cause of health inequalities.”

Working for the community

You’ve Got This has supported FROG on a number of completed and ongoing projects aimed at providing the people of Grangetown with space and opportunities to be active, including: 

• Securing funding for a boxing club and gym on FROG’s Grangetown United Community Hub complex. Work on this facility is expected to be completed by January 2021.
• Developing activities for adolescents to raise awareness for the boxing club and gym. FROG hopes to host pop-up boxing sessions in partnership with England Boxing coach Laura Sargeant, Redcar Boxing Club and local boxers. It also hopes to identify and provide young people with boxing coaching qualifications ahead of the club and gym’s opening.  
• Working with children and young people to improve Jade Green Park by designing murals, painting fencing and planting wildflowers. FROG plans to turn this initiative into the Grangetown Environmental Active Team (GREAT) to improve green spaces across the community. 
• Delivering family fun activities such as scavenger hunts, long jump competitions and balancing games using the outdoor space next to the Grangetown United Community Hub. 
• Providing space for local fitness providers to run keep fit classes for residents.  
• Working in collaboration with volunteers and Tees Valley Community Foundation to deliver 1900 hot two-course meals to vulnerable and elderly residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team also secured vital PPE for care workers, gave out free sanitary products and helped with prescriptions and shopping for members of the community. 
• Completing garden makeovers for three individuals and families nominated by other members of the community, giving them outdoor space to enjoy.

Making the most of facilities

In future, Lynn hopes You’ve Got This will help FROG make the most of its modern space to improve the health and wellbeing of Grangetown residents. 

“Within our new community hub, we have indoor and outdoor space that attracts up to 100 people a week. We’re also popular with families and young children and have a two-year-old nursery and café on site. We want to use our facilities to tackle obesity and health inequalities by offering a dedicated café and space for a healthy living hub. The work You’ve Got This is doing will be key in helping us achieve this.”