HYNDBURN women’s fitness is suffering as a lack of time, money and childcare is preventing them from exercising.

The findings of a survey of 250 women has led the borough council to draw up plans to offer low-cost fitness classes in community venues in a £200,000 scheme.

According to the survey, 57 per cent of the area’s women do not take part in any sport or active recreation.

Only 16 per cent meet the minimum requirement of at least three half hour sessions of moderate physical activity a week.

Men in the borough do not fare much better at just 21 per cent hitting that target.

However, the group which produced the report was specifically asked to focus on women.

This is because the council wanted to tap into funding from the Active Women fund, which only pays for activities to get females fitter.

The classes, which are dependent on gaining an £89,000 grant from Sport England, would see low-cost activity classes brought into community venues, rather than centrally-based leisure centres.

More than 20 venues, including children’s centres, community halls and schools, have already contributed a total of £104,173 towards the scheme by pledging staff time and free use of venues.

Hyndburn Council must also allocate £10,000 towards the scheme to attract the Sport England grant.

Cabinet member for leisure Coun Lynn Wilson said: “It’s an incredibly important scheme and will have many positive effects.

"It will keep the borough’s women healthy and exercise is also beneficial to your outlook and state of mind.

“Our consultation shows that all we have to do is make exercise more accessible.”

The project would take place over three years and would see 40 voluntary Get Active Champions trained to motivate and recruit new participants.

It aims to see an increase of at least 300 women participating in regular sporting activities.

We're backing the scheme

Sheila Parkinson, 51, at Peggy’s Cafe, Accrington Market Hall, said: “It’s a lot better when classes are all women and they do need to be easier to get to. That’s a problem now, so it would be brilliant.”

Helen Jackson, 33, said: “I’m pregnant so it will be brilliant for me. I want to get in shape after the baby’s born but I won’t have much time.”

Susan Young, 56, of Oswaldtwistle said: “It’s about time because I think it’s a real problem now. It’s fantastic news”.

Margaret Burdett, 56, said: “I think it’s a great idea and they should have done it long ago. It’s just common sense to make these things easy to get to.”