Through Sport NI’s Every Body Active 2020 programme, Derry and Strabane District Council have teamed up with Apex Housing Association to deliver free activity sessions for residents in Apex’s housing schemes. This partnership was established as part of the community planning process in Derry and Strabane, with Sport NI facilitating the initial contact between Apex and the local council’s sports development team.
Apex Housing Association manage over 4,500 homes across Northern Ireland, providing housing, care and support for the needs of the whole community. A key part of Apex’s remit is to provide the residents with opportunities to participate in physical activity and make use of the green spaces provided within their housing developments.
As part of the Every Body Active 2020 programme, coaches in Derry and Strabane, and indeed in all council areas in Northern Ireland, are facilitating physical activity sessions to encourage people who do not regularly take part in physical activity to do so. The target groups include women and girls, people with disabilities and those living in areas of greatest need. The partnership with Apex has provided the EBA2020 team in Derry and Strabane with a fantastic opportunity to engage with a range of people and help get everyone at Apex’s housing developments more active.
During August Apex held two successful sports activity days at their housing schemes in Clon Elagh and Knockena. These were facilitated by the coaches from Derry and Strabane’s EBA2020 programme and were also supported by the Police and Community Safety partnership (PCSP) and Nisa, Buncrana Road. This partnership working allowed the sessions to be run totally free of charge for the residents. Young people from Clon Elagh and Knockena were given the opportunity to take part in a variety of different activities, including Cage Football, the equipment for which was provided by the PCSP.
Apex
Apex have received some very positive feedback from residents about these sessions and intend to organise more events in the future at their housing scheme sites in both the Derry City & Strabane and Belfast City council areas. Sport NI are delighted that our Every Body Active 2020 programme is impacting on Apex’s residents and hope to see this partnership continuing in the future. To get involved with Apex’s sports activity events contact the Tenant Participation Officers - Meghan McEldowney for Derry/Londonderry and Donna Richmond for the Belfast area on 02871304800.