ACTIVE WOMEN AND GIRLS FOUNDATION

AWGF was registered as a charity in January 2021. Founded by an experienced charity manager with a decade of experience in the charity sector, a lifelong passion for sport and exercise, and an ambition to help provide the numerous and proven short and long term mental and physical health benefits to women and girls of all ages and backgrounds.

Our Mission

Women and girls are missing out on the numerous benefits of a physically active lifestyle. By removing barriers to female participation, AWGF provides access to a range of sports and other physical activities, and the empowering and long-term wellbeing benefits of an active lifestyle to women and girls, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

Health and Female participation in exercise and physical activity

A new study by the World Health Organisation shows that nearly 1.8bn adults are at risk of illnesses such as stroke, cancer, dementia and diabetes due to lack of exercise
 ‘This is a health crisis on a global scale, and women are disproportionately affected’ (WHO 2024).

• By the age of 16 or 17 64% of girls have quit sport (Sport England 2022)
• Only 61% of women in England are active today, compared to 66% of men (WHO 2024)
• Women are twice as likely to die of coronary heart disease, the main cause of heart attack, as breast cancer in the UK (British Heart Foundation).

Participation rates among women and girls in the UK are much lower than among men and boys. This gender gap is caused by many barriers, which can be categorised as ‘practical’, ‘personal’, ‘social and cultural’. These play a significant role in women and girls’ attitudes and behaviour and prevent them from gaining the numerous physical and mental health benefits of being active.

We work with a network of local coaches, teachers, volunteer organisers and local sports organisations, community centres and schools to provide access to a wide range of physical activities, usually, FREE of charge.

Based in SW London, our ambition is to support women and girls across London and particularly in those areas where barriers to accessing sport and exercise are greater.

Our key projects to-date include:

• Pilates Plus+ for women over 60 years of age – 9x30 week classes repeat funding by Active Richmond Fund 2021-2024
• Pilates for women - in deprived areas of London Borough of Hounslow
• Zumba classes  for Afghan refugee women - in London Borough of Hounslow 
• Support for girls cricket in North London - equipment
• Girls sports taster days - golf and tennis
• Girls multi-sports camps  - 7-10 years

These classes are all FREE of charge to remove the barrier of cost to many women, girls and their families.

The Cost of Living Crisis

Recent research by Sport England has found that women’s access to physical exercise has been disproportionately impacted by the cost of living crisis, with many women giving up their exercise classes and gym membership and other paid for forms of exercise. This is in addition to the many barriers that already exist to women and girls and exercise.

This means that the work of AWGF and our provision of often FREE OF CHARGE, local, quality exercise is more valuable than ever.