MILLSIDE Community Centre, on Grattan Road in Bradford city centre, has received a grant of £19,348 to provide weekly exercise and fitness sessions for two years following a donation from the Morrisons Foundation.

The centre, which is run by local charity Reach Beyond, regularly welcomes more than 300 people each week for services run by charities and community groups across the city.

Fit for Life is a brand new initiative set up by the charity which promotes better health, nutrition and wellbeing in the community by setting up weekly activity sessions for their service users.

As well as providing physical activity sessions, the charity will run a nutritional advice session, educating people on healthy eating and cooking nutritious food from scratch on a budget.

Reach Beyond self-funded a one month trial of activities, which included dance, yoga, general fitness, football and walking. These proved to be extremely popular, which the Morrisons Foundation recognised and has now provided funding for two years.

Colin Lowther, Chief Executive of Reach Beyond, said: "With so many people in our community suffering the effects of isolation during the pandemic, we see how important it is to get them out of the house and moving around. Just a simple walk with a few other people can make such a difference. Pointing them to a more nutritious diet will also go a long way to improving an overall sense of wellbeing. We are very grateful to the Morrisons Foundation for their support.”

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee, said: “Millside hosts and delivers some amazing work in Bradford, linking together a diverse range of community organisations. As we see the long-term impact of Covid affect families in our community, we recognise the significant role that Fit for Life can play in reducing hunger, raising ambitions and sustaining positive changes. We’re delighted to be providing this grant and can’t wait to see the impact that this will have over the next two years.”

The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarket in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help improve people’s lives. Since launching, over £33 million has been donated to hundreds of charities across England, Scotland and Wales.

Local charities are encouraged to visit www.morrisonsfoundation.com to find out how to apply for a grant.