Places Leisure: Girls in Sheffield offered free gym memberships through 'Big Sister' project

The initiative, which is called the Big Sister project, is being run as part of a pilot scheme to help improve confidence, wellbeing and activity amongst teenage girls living in areas of high

deprivation.

It will also be run in Rotherham, and some parts of Derbyshire and Norfolk.

In Sheffield, the offer will be available at Graves Health and Sports Centre, Wisewood Sports Centre, Thorncliffe Health & Sports Centre, and Aston-cum-Aughton Leisure Centre.

It will be funded with £1m from the final Tampon Tax Fund.

The aim is to bust the myths surrounding puberty and break down the barriers that girls face in leading healthy, happy and active lives.

The project is led by Women in Sport and is being supported by Places for People’s charity Places Foundation, leisure provider Places Leisure, and Hey Girls Community Interest Company.

Women in Sport chief executive Stephanie Hillborne said: “It is a travesty that gender and economic inequalities are leading to so many teenage girls missing out on the exhilaration and fulfilment of exercise.

“We need to give girls a break from the gender stereotypes that limit their freedom. It is simply wrong that one in three young girls avoid sport and exercise because they feel self-

conscious about their appearance.”

What does the free gym membership offer include?

The free six-month membership offer includes unlimited use of the gym and swimming pool, a selection of group workout classes and free access to virtual classes and resources, through the award-winning Places Leisure Locker App.

Girls participating in the programme can also gain access to free, reusable period products and resource packs from Hey Girls, to ensure that period poverty does not present a barrier

to participation, promote good menstrual health and break down the myths and taboos that surround menstruation.

Kate Smith, co-founder and director at Hey Girls, said “We are so pleased to work closely with the Big Sister Project. We have lived and learnt experience that sports can be a challenging topic when discussing periods, so we are really excited to help educate people within the Big Sister community to keep people active while they are menstruating.”

More information can be found on the Places Leisure website.