Wolves Foundation and the City of Wolverhampton Council are teaming up to launch a fantastic new free physical activity programme for the city's children and young people.
The club’s official charity will deliver up to 40 hours of free activities every week at the council's WV Active leisure centres, community centres and other locations over the next two years.
The Yo! Active programme, which will also include more hours of free swimming, gym sessions and court bookings at WV Active, will be available to residents of Wolverhampton aged up to 18, or 25 for care leavers or young adults with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
Tom Warren, senior manager at Wolves Foundation, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with our partners at the council to provide more avenues for people to get healthier and more active in the city.
“The project will remove barriers to children and young people taking part in physical activity, with a range of opportunities on offer. Our highly motivated staff are driven to achieve positive change and are looking forward to working across Wolverhampton to do so.”
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the council’s cabinet member for adults and wellbeing, said: "We are delighted to be working with Wolves Foundation to deliver this exciting new programme of activities for our children and young people.
"The Foundation is already a key partner in our Yo! Wolves school holiday scheme, and by commissioning them to deliver the extended Yo! Active programme we can make more opportunities available all year round.
"It will help increase the number of children and young people who are able to enjoy physical activity in the community and at our WV Active leisure centres, and help further boost the number of children who complete the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
“It also forms a key part of Health and Wellbeing Together's new Physical Activity Strategy to create and promote suitable activities, programmes and infrastructure which enable residents to engage in regular physical activity that meets their needs.”
Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for children and young people, added: "Giving our children and young people the best possible start in life is a priority for the council, and a key part of this is enabling them to access the sort of opportunities that we will be delivering through the Yo! Active programme.
"This will bolster the wide range of activities already available through our phenomenally successful Yo! Wolves school holiday programme and mean that every child and young person in our city will have the chance to access high quality physical activities throughout the year."
For details of the new Yo! Active programme, and how to book places, please visit www.yowolves.co.uk/yo-active. Further activities will be added in the coming weeks here.
Eligible children and young people need to register for a free Yo! Active membership. This can be done through the WV Active website, over the phone or in person at one of the city’s three WV Active leisure centres. Once registered, the account must be activated in person by providing proof of eligibility.
Meanwhile, the Yo! Wolves holiday programme will return for the February half-term holidays, offering hundreds of free and low cost activities throughout the week. More details will be available at www.yowolves.co.uk in the coming weeks.
