Sunderland as a successful city of culture will not only focus on arts and architecture it will ensure we have a focus on the a culture of activity, a focus on a healthy population and opportunities to be active, whatever you choose to do.
Active Sunderland is committed to creating opportunities for people to be active in Sunderland, whatever their age, gender, ability or where they live in the city. We and others already create opportunities within our have beautiful green spaces, whether that be making use of a number of local and national cycle networks including the hugely popular Coast to Coast (C2C) route and walking routes that span Sunderland.
However, we also know that Sunderland’s residents are not as active as they could be. Over 25% of adults in Sunderland currently do not take part in exercise or activity at all and we know that the healthy life expectancy (how many years you might live in a ‘healthy’ state) is lower in Sunderland than the national average.
We are working with many others to change this statistic.
A successful 2021 City of Culture bid would be a catalyst for change. We believe the feelgood factor that comes with a successful bid would encourage residents to get out and about in this fantastic city, to explore places and things they have never done before and try new activities. We would envisage more people being more active in more places. Whether that is groups of people enjoying the heritage sites around Sunderland as part of walking groups and networks, participating in family cycle rides within the cities amazing parks, or appreciate the existing sculpture trails along the river corridors on there way to and from work , there are opportunities for everyone.
A successful bid would be the perfect platform to promote everything this fantastic city has to offer and to highlight Sunderland on the national platform it deserves.
— Active Sunderland
