HUNDREDS of Furness residents are set to benefit from a scheme to provide leisure passes to foodbank users in a bid to improve physical and mental wellbeing.

Members of the Furness Locality Board approved allocating £21,220 from the Department for Work and Pensions Household Support Fund to Barrow Foodbank.

The funding will support foodbank users with leisure passes which provide access to the swimming pool or gym at Dalton and Barrow Leisure centres.

According to the report prepared for the locality board, 840 people could be set to benefit from the scheme.

The report says: “The team has been working with the Foodbank and Barrow and Dalton Leisure Centres to look at how to provide additional support for foodbank users to increase their mental and physical wellbeing.

“Accessing the leisure centre with the cost-of-living crisis and people living in poverty are barriers to people. The benefits of physical activity are known to increase people’s mental wellbeing.”

The report adds there will be no differentiation between someone paying for a swim or gym membership to someone receiving the free passes.

The scheme will provide the following:

  • 100 x Family Swim Passes (two adults and three children)
  • 100 Adult Swims at either centre
  • 20 Family Memberships (two adults and three children) for Dalton Leisure Centre
  • 20 Family Memberships (two adults and three children) for Barrow Leisure Centre
  • 20 Adult Memberships for Barrow Leisure Centre
  • 20 Adult Memberships for Dalton Leisure Centre

The swim passes and gym memberships are ‘not time limited’ and both leisure centres will ‘work closely’ with the Foodbank to ensure that families and individuals are supported when accessing the leisure centres, the report states.

Members of Furness locality board approved the allocation of funds on August 21 at Barrow Town Hall.