CUPP awards provide funding for community projects
Published 22 March 2013
Two senior lecturers from the School of Sport and Service Management have received funding for local projects they have set up after successfully bidding for grants from the Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP).
CUPP helps to create sustainable relationships between the university and surrounding communities for the benefit of both. It does this by providing information, practical support and funding, and it involves university staff and students in a number of diverse activities.
With the backing of SASM business development manager Nick Rogers, senior SASM lecturers Dan Bennett and Louisa Beale submitted bids for projects they are working on and each received £5,000 to develop their initiatives.
Dan Bennett was awarded the funding in support of his project Bright Young Things (BYT), which allows students, with his support, to help local organisations by providing expertise in marketing, promotion, PR, communication, fundraising and social media. Bright Young Things will operate through 3VA (the Council for Voluntary Services in Eastbourne, Wealden and Lewes), which has a membership of more than 500 community and voluntary organisations. The project benefits the organisation by providing practical assistance, as well as contributing skills and knowledge, while the students gain real-life ‘consultancy’ experience, which, in turn, gives added value to their studies.
Senior lecturer in marketing Dan Bennett said: “The CUPP bid is a major development for the BYT project. It has only been up and running for a few months so this is a great opportunity for us to spread our wings and become a significant contributor to business growth and development within the local area. We already have a number of corporate clients that students are working with and early indicators are that the project is being incredibly well received by local organisations and the students participating.”
The other project to receive an award is being run by Louisa Beale. This initiative involves the local community in a very different way. Entitled the Eastbourne Exercise Referral Programme, the project aims to safely and effectively increase exercise levels, and hence fitness, in sedentary groups and people with medical conditions living in the Eastbourne area. The project builds on an existing community cardiac rehabilitation programme, called Active Hearts, run at the university and will bring the health benefits of appropriate exercise to a wider range of people.
Starting with a short-term pilot at the university’s Sport Centre, it is hoped this project will continue in the long term and will evolve over time in response to feedback received from participants, referring health practitioners and patient forum groups.
Louisa Beale, senior lecturer in sport and exercise science, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding to start an exercise referral programme at the university. This will enable exercise and health specialists to work with primary care health practitioners and local community groups to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Eastbourne and the surrounding areas.
“The aim of the programme is to support people with underlying medical conditions to become more active, by providing access to safe and effective exercise sessions and
