About
Free swimming for over-65s, under-16s and care leavers; Borough of Sport grants fund (45+ funded initiatives); Morden parkrun; Merton Women Run; Tim Henman Foundation adapted tennis in special schools; Merton Moves coaching programme for older adults; Equip sports equipment loan scheme (27 boxes, 15,000 users); PlayZones; library fitness classes; Walking Netball; My Ends youth diversion programme Custom geography from upload: Merton
Key Metrics
67.6% of Merton adults (117,000 people) now active — above London and England averages, representing 6,800 more active adults than previous years
Key Metric 1
£2.25 million in external funding secured since launch, representing a 4:1 multiplier on council investment
Key Metric 2
20,000+ residents reached across three Big Sports Day events; 50,000+ visits to Borough of Sport Activity Finder
Key Metric 3
Key Outcomes
- 48.6% of Merton children achieve 60+ minutes of daily activity — above both London and national averages — with the borough achieving the highest Active Lives survey response rate in London (37 schools, 2,500+ pupils), enabling a reliable baseline for tracking progress
- Merton Moves coaching programme supported 300 older adults to take up physical activity, with 88% reporting improved physical health, 62% more social contact, and 53% better mental wellbeing
- The Borough of Sport model was recognised by CIPFA and The Health Foundation as a national leading example of preventative local government investment, with 67% of spending classified as preventative and the remainder enabling — demonstrating measurable prevention within existing budgets
Geography
London, Other
