Committee asks for £300k budget boost to save Guernsey's long-term sport strategy

Guernsey's Education, Sport and Culture committee is asking for £300,000 to be set aside for the next seven years to save a programme encouraging people into sport.

The 'Active 8' strategy was launched in 2021, designed as a 10-year plan to encourage islanders to become more active - but it was only funded for the first three years.

The committee is asking for the recently published Government Work Plan, which lays out future funding priorities, to be amended to ensure the programme can continue running.

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, the committee's president said that the investment in sports "will save money in the long run" and that people who are active "are generally healthier and we know that physically being active is good for our mental health and wellbeing".

The Policy and Resources committee - which oversees the Government Work Plan - released a statement saying: "The committee would have very much liked to have been in a position to recommend meeting the full funding request for the plan for sport..."

"We appreciate the contribution of sport to the fabric of our island but unfortunately the current financial position of the States means we are simply not able to meet all requests for new funding" it continued.

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