A BURNLEY and Padiham sport project set up to get more women active has received a massive cash injection by Sport England.

The ‘Girls Up and Active’ programme, has been created by the Calico Group following £164,000 of funding being obtained.

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The programme will provide low-cost activities for women and girls in the South-West Burnley area and Padiham.

The cheque was presented at the project launch event last week at the Valley Street Community Centre, which invited partner organisations to network and pledge to become more active.

Andrea Pilling, Burnley Leisure’s project activator and lead for ‘Girls Up and Active’, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive funding from the Community Sport Activation Fund, which will allow us to develop our sport and physical activity offer to girls and women over the next three years.

“Working in partnership with the Calico Group, we will offer a selection of sports and physical activity sessions ranging from netball, football, rounders, buggy bootcamp, Metafit, a selection of fitness classes and much more.

“A particular focus of the project is to remove barriers to exercise, so we’ll make sure the sessions are informal, accessible and social, providing women with every opportunity to make friends and have fun.”

As well as meeting at weekly sessions, women will be able to share their stories and encourage one another on their paths to fitness on social media.

Derek Kettlewell, head of new business for the Calico Group, said: “There is a real need to promote the importance of exercise in our communities and the benefits this can have on our health and wellbeing.

“The Girls Up and Active programme aims to be accessible for those taking part from the locations in our communities, through the use of community centres and schools for classes, as well as the times being arranged around school drop-offs, and evenings after work.

“I am sure that these classes will be very successful and a great way to create and strengthen relationships within the communities.”

The three-year project is set to roll out in January.