Lesson 5 of 6
Community fitness programmes
Learning objectives
- Decide who you serve in the community and why
- Choose between funded, low-cost and free models
- Partner with organisations that can fund or refer
- Measure outcomes that funders, councils and partners care about
Community is a model, not a side project
Community fitness — schools, prisons, youth, older adults, mental health groups, underserved estates — requires its own programming, safeguarding awareness, partner relationships and reporting. Done seriously, it is a real income stream and a real impact stream.
Funding sources
Funded delivery (council, NHS, foundations, corporate partners), commissioned delivery (paid by an organisation), low-cost paid delivery, or free at the point of use funded another way. Pick the model and design the offer to match.
Measure what partners need
Attendance, completion, demographic reach, simple wellbeing measures, qualitative feedback. A short, honest report at the end of each cohort opens the door to the next contract.
Founder insight — Derrick Twum
Community programmes that get re-funded are the ones with simple data, clear delivery and a partner who can vouch for you. Impact stories beat slide decks.
Key takeaway
Treat community delivery as a model with its own funding, partners, programming and reporting — not as goodwill on the side.
Reflection questions
- 1Who do you most want to serve?
- 2Which funding or partner route fits?
- 3What outcomes would partners actually pay attention to?
Action task
Sketch one community programme: audience, partner, funding route, sessions, measurement and what a short end-of-cohort report would say.
Worksheet
Work through these prompts. Answers save to this device.
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