New projects funded to boost physical activity for children, young people and underserved communities across London 

Since 1981, we’ve channelled £117 million into sport and physical activity, helping children, young people and adults across the UK lead healthier, more active lives.

A top priority is tackling inactivity among young Londoners. New data shows 53% aren’t hitting the Chief Medical Officers’ recommended 60 minutes of daily activity (Sport England's Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, 2025), while more than a third grow up in poverty (Trust for London, 2025) – making access to sport and activity more urgent than ever.

Mike Diaper, Group Funding and Impact Director at the London Marathon Foundation, said: “Play and physical activity are not just fun – they are vital for children’s health and wellbeing, helping them to grow up happier, healthier, and more connected to the spaces around them. Every child has the right to be active, yet too many in London are still missing out.

“The projects announced today will give thousands of more children and young people opportunities to play and be active across the capital, but we know much more needs to be done. We remain committed to funding projects that support children, young people, and underserved communities in London to be active – laying the foundations for a healthier, active future.”

The £1.87 million funding has been awarded through our Active Spaces Fund, which is open to applications that will engage underserved communities across London in physical activity all year round. More than £1.1 million has been committed to supporting children and young people to be active, with projects including two new playgrounds, dance classes for children in care, inclusive sessions for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and a new 1Wall UK Youth Club to encourage more young people to play handball – an accessible, free activity suited to urban environments where outdoor space is often limited. 

Matt Shaw, CEO of 1Wall UK, said: “We’re excited to have launched a new 1Wall UK Youth Club at Forest Gate Community School. Thanks to this funding from the London Marathon Foundation, the club is secured for at least the next three years, giving us time to build on our success, grow our community and get many more young people playing 1Wall – providing a free, local way to get active.”

While supporting children and young people is a key priority, our vision is to inspire activity for people of all ages, abilities and communities. Other projects funded range from ballroom dancing for older adults in Greenwich, to bowls sessions for blind and partially sighted people in Tower Hamlets, and activities for all ages at the Bethnal Green Nature Reserve Trust, including forest school sessions, youth placements, and outdoor exercise classes for underserved communities.

Michael Smythe, Senior Manager at the Bethnal Green Nature Reserve Trust, said: “With the support of the London Marathon Foundation, we can continue creating opportunities for people to connect with nature and enjoy being active outdoors all year round. Our work brings generations together, from forest school sessions for children to adult volunteering, helping to build healthy communities while caring for the nature reserve’s ecosystems and one another.”

A full list of projects funded through the Active Spaces Fund since April 2025 is included below.

In October we published a Group Impact Report with our events company, London Marathon Events (LME), sharing how collectively we’re using sport and physical activity as a force for good. Through our funding and LME’s events and initiatives (such as the TCS Mini London Marathon in schools), more than 550,000 children and young people have been engaged in physical activity in the past year alone. 

Pioneering partnerships with organisations including junior parkrun, The Daily Mile Foundation, and Youth Sport Trust, will help even more children and young people to be active in the years ahead – supporting the health and wellbeing of future generations. 

• Barnet:  £82,000 to the London Borough of Barnet towards redeveloping an inclusive and accessible playground at Halliwick Recreation Ground
• Bromley: £200,000 to the London Borough of Bromley to install Poolpods and Changing Places Toilet Facilities at Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centres to improve access for people with disabilities and reduced mobility
• Croydon: £80,000 to the London Borough of Croydon to renovate a Multi-Use Games Area next to South Norwood Lake
• Enfield: £72,100 to One-to-One Enfield towards expanding cycling, walking, fitness classes and gardening activities for groups that are currently inactive
• Greenwich: £40,000 to Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA) for a three-year ballroom tea dance programme for older adults in Woolwich, at the Woolwich Front Room
• Hackney: £65,300 to MRS Independent Living towards supporting community exercise classes at the Marie Lloyd Centre for older adults from low-income backgrounds
• Haringey: £76,000 to The Bridge Renewal Trust to support an activity programme in the Bridge Community Hub, with free boxing, football, self-defence and gentle movement sessions for residents of the Tiverton Estate and surrounding areas
• Inner south and east London Boroughs: £27,500 to XLP to develop a female sports programme – including running, cycling and fitness sessions – for girls and young women at risk of exclusion, unemployment, or involvement in anti-social behaviour across south and east London
• Islington: £80,000 to Islington Mind to introduce dance, tennis, and one-to-one coaching sessions, to support more people with mental health challenges to participate in physical activity
• Islington:  £61,000 to Champions 4 Change Wellbeing Community Interest Company towards a Boxercise programme at the Claremont Project Centre for adults living with Type 2 diabetes
• Newham: £200,000 to West Ham United Foundation, funding the London Marathon Foundation ‘Strive Zone’ in The Foundry community hub – a new space for physical activity for people of all ages and abilities
• Newham: £150,000 to Children's Discovery Centre East London to create two new active play spaces at the Children's Discovery Centre in Stratford
• Newham: £80,000 to Fight for Peace International for accessibility improvements and specialist boxing sessions to make activities more inclusive for women and girls, SEND participants and wheelchair users in Woolwich
• Newham: £33,000 to the London Borough of Newham to deliver trauma-informed dance classes for children in care
• Newham: £26,000 to 1Wall UK (formerly UK Wallball Association Limited) to set-up and deliver a new, weekly 1Wall UK Youth Club at Forest Gate Community School, to get more young people playing handball
• Richmond: £63,000 to Richmond Crossroads Care towards an inclusive and adaptive sports programme for SEND children and young people in Richmond and Hounslow
• Southwark: £115,300 to the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre Limited, supporting LGBTQ+ communities to get active by growing a weekly programme of inclusive classes (including yoga, ballet, strength training and self-defence sessions)
• Southwark: £40,000 to Burgess Sports towards running the Ambassadors Sports Volunteer Programme, enabling children and young people to become leaders at Burgess Sports by developing coaching, employability and leadership skills, so they can support other children to be active
• Sutton: £26,000 to the London Borough of Sutton to install a Poolpod at Westcroft Leisure Centre to improve pool access for people with disabilities and reduced mobility
• Tower Hamlets: £80,000 to Metro Blind Sport to support weekly bowls sessions at Paddington Sports Club and an annual athletics event for blind and partially sighted people at Mile End Park Stadium
• Tower Hamlets: £50,000 to Poplar HARCA, providing additional funding to create a community campus on the Teviot Estate, including a new artificial grass pitch and outdoor play space
• Tower Hamlets: £32,000 to Bethnal Green Nature Reserve Trust to deliver forest school sessions, youth placements, and outdoor exercise classes for underserved communities, to improve physical, mental, and social wellbeing while nurturing connections with local green spaces
• Waltham Forest: £195,000 to Higham Hill Hub CIO towards building Higham Hill Hub – a new and environmentally sustainable community space to be used for a range of sports and physical activities