The Aggression Sessions Fund supported Get Fit and Dance CIC to bring fitness activities to rural communities in County Durham.
A £2,500 grant helped the organisation deliver 18 hours of activity across Stanhope Community Centre and St Clare’s Church Hall in Newton Aycliffe, reaching 59 people aged 17 to 71.
Staying fit and healthy is not always easy
Get Fit and Dance CIC works with people living with deprivation, social isolation or mental health challenges. The organisation was founded by four local women who had experienced those barriers themselves, and wanted to create accessible dance and fitness opportunities for others.
For people in rural communities, taking part in regular fitness activity is not always straightforward. Transport, cost, confidence, health conditions and a lack of local provision can all get in the way.
The Aggression Sessions Fund supports community sports projects across County Durham, helping more people take part in regular physical activity close to where they live.
Get Fit and Dance’s story: activity close to home
With support from the fund, Get Fit and Dance CIC delivered an outreach programme across two community venues.
The grant helped the organisation buy portable gym and sports equipment, which meant sessions could be taken into local spaces rather than expecting people to travel to a gym or leisure centre.
Activities included circuits, weight training, dance fitness, football and volleyball. Instructors offered high and low impact options, so people with different fitness levels and abilities could take part.
The programme reached 59 people aged between 17 and 71. Of those, 47 were new to the organisation.
Everyone who took part said they felt less lonely and had improved social connections through the weekly group sessions.
For John, aged 71, the sessions helped him reconnect with a more active part of himself. He took part in Bishop Auckland and noticed improvements in both his mobility and mental wellbeing.
“I feel more like my old self again. The best part has been feeling part of something.”
Making a difference close to home
The project showed how portable equipment and local venues can make fitness more accessible. Instead of asking people to travel further or pay more, Get Fit and Dance brought activity into familiar community spaces.
Through the Aggression Sessions Fund, Point North helps community organisations remove some of the practical barriers that stop people taking part in sport and fitness.
For Get Fit and Dance, that meant 59 people had access to local sessions that supported their physical health, reduced loneliness and helped them feel more connected.