Enabling Women To Move More And Lead The Way
On this page we bring together insight, stories, and learning that are all helping to enable women to move more and lead the way. This work focuses on women who are experiencing the greatest inequalities at both national and local level.
Listening to Local Women
Women who might benefit the most from moving more live complex lives and have other competing priorities. Additionally, opinions and experiences differ for every woman.
That’s why its important to listen to what women in our local communities have to say about being active.
How to support local South Asian and Muslim women move more
The Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network developed this guidance for understanding their experiences and how to support them to take part in physical activities.
View the insights and learnings we have from working with South Asian and Muslim women in Notts and Derbyshire
We recognise that one of our communities where inequalities exist is the South Asian and Muslim population, and among women in particular.
National guidance
For those who provide and promote physical activity, Sport England has published guidance around developing an initial understanding of the perspectives and priorities of women and information about the different cultures they may come from.
Let’s Get Out There: A guide to making outdoor activities more inclusive for women
Tackle barriers and create opportunities for women to enjoy the benefits of getting outside using this guide from the This Girl Can campaign.
It shares guidance on developing inclusive activities, creating culturally sensitive communications, and provides templates and materials to help promote your activities.
You’ll also find case studies of some organisations who are already on their journey towards supporting more women to get active outdoors.
A guide for creating inclusive physical activity spaces for South Asian and Muslim women
This guide arms you with some topline information to better understand women from diverse cultural backgrounds from a cultural and faith perspective.
It explains how culture and faith play into what many of our Black and Asian Muslim women wear and what they eat and don’t eat.
The guide includes information on where in England large communities of Black and Asian Muslim women live and the languages some of them speak.
Advice from ThisGirlCan on inclusive spaces
ThisGirlCan is a national campaign funded by the National Lottery that is focused on helping all women from all backgrounds get active in ways that work for them.
They’ve spoken to women to understand how activities can be more inclusive, welcoming, reassuring, and representative.
Explore their website to access their research, suggestions, branding toolkit, and example activities from around the country.
Local success stories and learnings
These stories from our communities share what really works when it comes to removing the barriers that prevent women from getting active.
Water confidence for Black women
Created for Black women by Black women and funded by the Canal Rivers Trust, Swim Sista Swim is a ten-week programme is for those with little or no water confidence due to never having learnt to swim.
Peer support and encouragement as well as socialising ensured the activity stayed fun and rewarding even at its most challenging.
The results have been life changing and potentially life saving.
Creating more women activity leaders
This story shares how one woman of Black Caribbean heritage, funded by the This Girl Can programme, increased the number of local activity leaders and up skilled existing leaders.
Having activity leaders who are part of the local community gets more women from that community active.
Developing walk leaders within Nottingham’s South Asian community
People are more likely to listen and take part in new activities, such as walking, when the message comes from someone who looks like them and speaks their language.
In Nottingham, South Asian women were keen to volunteer as community walk leaders but wanted training to build their skills and confidence.
With training from RideWise and funding from This Girl Can, we made this possible and helped create an energised network of new walk leaders.
Peer‑led walking to support movement among new mums
Founded by a new mum experiencing postnatal depression, Mums on the Move is a walking group that provides and easy way for new mothers to be being physically active.
Regular, free, buggy‑accessible walks around Nottinghamshire offer gentle movement, social connection, and time outdoors.
The peer‑led model helps reduce isolation and encourages continuing participation by bringing together mums with babies and young children who share similar experiences.
Beating depression through support, activity, and mentorship.
Meet Sunshine Sam, a woman from Nottingham who has been supported through mentoring to become an activity leader in her local communityha
Since starting her journey, Sam has delivered classes to over 300 people, most of whom hadn’t before engaged with physical activity.