We now move to the short debate, and I call on Caroline Jones to introduce the topic that she has chosen.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I’ve chosen to use my short debate today to highlight the amazing work undertaken by a little-known charity in my region, Bulldogs Boxing & Community Activities. The Bulldogs use the power of boxing to involve, educate and inspire young people and their families across Wales, and within Neath Port Talbot in particular, through a broad, five-pillar personal development programme. Based in Baglan, the Bulldogs boxing and community development centre is inspirational, motivating and extraordinary from the moment you enter. It is a centre of opportunity for young people and their families at a time when many other facilities, particularly public sector services, are closing. It brings people together and makes an outstanding and lasting difference to local people’s lives. It is the first of its kind in Wales and is a member of the prestigious Fight for Peace global alumni partnership, which uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities affected by crime and violence.

The Bulldogs five-pillar programme is open to everyone in the community. It is a mix-and-match personal development programme designed to suit individuals. Each of the pillars can be accessed at any time, using as much or as little support as needed. The programme is open to employed and unemployed people regardless of where they live. The main focus of Bulldogs is people under the age of 30, although support is available for all ages. Many of these people come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the Bulldogs believe every person can achieve success with the right guidance, support and motivation, which are available within the five pillars.

The five-pillar programme is an action plan chosen by the persons themselves and made up of: personal development, which uses mentoring and motivation to help build confidence, and teaches life skills and core values by encouraging individuals to take up volunteering; open access, which allows young people free access to the gym and after-school clubs; education, employment and training, which offers employment support, including job-related training and access to local employers and work placements; fitness and boxing to suit every level of fitness and skill; and support services, which bring together multiple agencies.

The five-pillar programme has been adapted to work with specific groups over and above the Bulldogs’ main target group, which includes the Bulldogs employability pathway—a partnership with Jobcentre Plus. They provide extensive employment and training support from their dedicated employability pillar. This is a very successful arm of the Bulldogs and is growing week on week, with success for all ages. Bulldogs well-being: tailored exercise and nutrition programmes creating a healthier community. This is something for everyone at the Bulldogs, starting from the most basic form of exercise up to a high-intensity programme. Bulldogs/SSAFA armed forces drop-in: this is a multi-agency approach to helping those who have served or are currently serving within the armed forces. They also help young people into the services through their employability pathway. Bulldogs laces group: a partnership with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council’s looked-after children’s education services, providing social, emotional and behavioural skills change. Young offenders: a partnership with western bay youth justice, creating exit strategies for young offenders, and using the discipline of boxing to help steer young offenders away from future crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Bulldogs provides a platform for over 30 organisations working in partnership to provide a fighting chance in life for the next generations in and around the Port Talbot areas of the Swansea bay region. I am sure Members will agree with me that their work is truly impressive, as are their results. The Bulldogs first came to my attention because of the work they do with SSAFA, the armed forces charity. My husband, since leaving the army, has been a huge supporter of SSAFA, and helps work to assist ex-service personnel adapt to life on civvy street. He also works with PTSD sufferers, and through this work we became aware of the Bulldogs gym.

The Bulldogs work with service personnel and others suffering with PTSD, offering a safe and friendly environment for sufferers to talk with one another about their experiences, and allowing them to work together to cope with the condition. The Bulldogs work with partner agencies to assist PTSD sufferers. Studies have shown that high intensity sports such as boxing can help manage their PTSD symptoms, and with the Bulldogs gym, PTSD sufferers get access to these sports, as well other people suffering from the condition. The Bulldogs also help those who have served or are currently serving within the armed forces by offering drop-in sessions for the armed forces and veterans.

By bringing like-minded people together, the Bulldogs are helping ex-service personnel cope with the transition to civilian life. As an added benefit, veterans at the gym can help young people who are thinking of joining the armed forces. Many of these young people come from disadvantaged backgrounds and the Bulldogs help them achieve their full potential by providing support and guidance, along with motivation. This approach is also used to steer young offenders away from the youth justice system. The discipline that boxing instils is proven to help steer young offenders away from criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. These benefits aside, increasing physical activity amongst young people is the major benefit of the Bulldogs gym.

As I have said several times, it is a matter of national shame that nearly two thirds of Welsh adults and a third of Welsh children are overweight or obese. We have to do all that we can to increase physical activity amongst young people and children. The Bulldogs gym offers free access to the gym and its facilities to young people during the afternoons, as well as running an after-school drop-in club. By offering these facilities, the Bulldogs help to tackle the obesity crisis head on.

In a recent Health, Social Care and Sport Committee consultation, the British Medical Association highlighted the need to increase access to sporting activities—the opportunities to exercise and undertake leisure pursuits. The BMA estimates that the cost of physical inactivity in Wales is around £650 million per year. Facilities such as those provided by the Bulldogs enable the local community to exercise in a safe and supported environment. They do all this with little public sector support, relying mainly on their charitable activities.

I am extremely grateful to Bulldogs for providing this opportunity to my constituents, but as UKIP’s shadow secretary for health and well-being, I want to see people in the rest of Wales enjoy similar benefits. I would like to see the Welsh Government work with Bulldogs Boxing and Community Activities to explore how this programme can be replicated across the country.

Let’s ensure that every young person in Wales has access to the five-pillar programme. Let’s give young offenders from across the nation a pathway out of crime and anti-social behaviour. Let’s help all our veterans cope with transition to civilian life, and let’s ensure that those living in our towns and cities have access to a Bulldogs of their very own. Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.

Can you just confirm that you’ve given Gareth Bennett a minute of your time?

Yes, I have.

Thank you—Gareth Bennett.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thanks to Caroline for that account of the work of Bulldogs gym. The work of these kinds of community activity groups is a very important part of the fabric of our society. I’m sure there are such groups in everyone’s constituencies and regions.

In my region, there’s Cardiff Riding School, for instance, located in Pontcanna fields, surrounded by 35 acres of parkland. The school first opened in 1970 and is owned and operated by Cardiff council as part of their leisure provision for residents. This allows the school to offer a variety of lessons and courses at affordable prices for children, adults and, importantly, disabled riders. In addition to horse-riding skills, disabled riders in particular build on their mobility, control, listening skills, co-ordination, self-belief and confidence.

There are some 40 horses and ponies at the school, of which nine are horses owned by others, livery horses, some of which are used in lessons, working livery. The service attracts, on average, 35,000 users per annum. The centre was recently recognised by the Riding for the Disabled Association, which awarded them the first accessibility mark status in Wales. The centre is also approved by the British Horse Society. There are 10 full-time staff at the centre, which is also supported by the Friends of Cardiff Riding School, who organise vital fundraising events and open days. I would like to commend the riding school for the work that it does in maintaining this crucial service, in particular for disabled riders.

Thank you very much. I call on the Minister for Social Services and Public Health to reply to the debate—Rebecca Evans.

Thank you. I’m glad to have this opportunity to reply to the debate and I do thank Caroline Jones for leading this debate today and also for telling us about the good work of Bulldogs Boxing and Community Activities. Also, thank you to Gareth Bennett for describing some of the good work done by Cardiff Riding School.

The Welsh Government recognises the benefits of ensuring that communities across the whole of Wales become more active. We want to increase the number of people taking part in sport and physical activity and we know that this is undoubtedly a fundamental part of creating a healthy and active nation.

Sport has the power to reinvigorate community spirit, improve health, build confidence, inspire, and teach people new life skills. It also has the unique ability to transcend common obstacles and bring people together with a common purpose. There are other elements, such as coaching and volunteering, which also play a pivotal role in sport development and can also have a very positive effect on people’s lives.

Our attitude to sport plays an important part in how we live our lives. We know that physical inactivity can drastically shorten our lifespan as well as increasing the likelihood of suffering from chronic diseases. To support this, we need to ensure that there are no barriers to engaging in sport and physical activity, and there are some really good examples where working in partnership is having very positive results.

Earlier this year, I attended the Disability Sport Wales awards. Their vision and mission is to transform lives through the power of sport, driven by their commitment to a Wales where, irrespective of ability, every person has the right to a full and lifelong involvement in sport and physical activity. Disability Sport Wales now supports a community programme with nearly 18,000 members and works with schools and clubs holding a series of events, supported by volunteers.

Of particular interest is their partnership with the Betsi Cadwaladr university health board, providing people with opportunities to take part in sport, which has helped to rebuild their lives. I’d like to share with you some of those stories. Angeline, who has a disability, was one of the first young people in Conwy to benefit from the partnership involving Disability Sport Wales and Betsi. Angeline was signposted to Disability Sport Wales by her physiotherapist, and introduced to wheelchair basketball with assistance from coaches and volunteers. I know that this experience has helped build Angeline’s confidence, and her parents tell us that it’s also helped change their daughter’s life.

Mathew, who was bullied in school and not included in football games because the other boys felt he was too slow, was introduced to cricket through Disability Sport Wales. His mother says that it has been wonderful to watch Mathew’s self-confidence grow through his involvement in cricket. He’s interacting with other people now, and laughing and joking, and no longer gets bullied.

James, an active football coach and golfer, before suffering a number of strokes, was given a new sense of determination when he was introduced to the local Disability Sport Wales development officer in Conwy. Through participation in Disability Wales programmes, James has been motivated to reach his goals of rehabilitation and he hopes to participate in competitive golf. There are other examples where sport is helping to support community life.

Our football league clubs are also actively involved in working with young people, mainly from disadvantage backgrounds, who are underachieving, with the aim of helping them improve their educational outcomes. StreetGames Wales, who receive support from Welsh Government via Sport Wales, is encouraging young people based in socially deprived areas by providing a range of doorstep sporting activities, for young people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take part in sport. They’ve established over 60 doorstep sport clubs in Wales, and aim to become a sustainable part of the fabric of the community.

Via Sport Wales, the Welsh Government has also invested £0.5 million in a partnership with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action to encourage more people from black and minority ethnic communities to participate in sport and further wider benefits. The programme delivers across four areas, including in Swansea. I recently met with Street Football Wales, and I’m really pleased to be backing their work, which focuses on supporting young men and women who have a range of social challenges, by using football as a hook to help them transform their lives. Street Football Wales has supported over 3,900 participants. In a recent survey, 94 per cent of respondents said their confidence and their self-esteem had improved. Ninety-three per cent said their physical health had improved, and 92 per cent said that their mental health had improved. The Football Association of Wales also supports the ‘We Wear The Same Shirt’ campaign, which helps to combat the stigma of mental health through engagement in football.

Welsh gymnastics has made great progress over the last few years, and now has over 20,000 club members, including a specific BME club in Butetown, which I visited in September last year and was completely inspired by.

More recently, in March, I visited one of the Welsh Rugby Union’s school club hub projects in Haverfordwest. The project involves giving girls and boys across 89 hubs in Wales the opportunity to participate in rugby. Through the programme, they receive the invaluable support and guidance of the rugby officers and trained rugby leaders to help them develop a range of skills and acquire knowledge of all aspects of the game, helping to strengthen links to community rugby clubs, and improving the sustainability of club rugby and longer-term player involvement.

It’s also encouraging to see more people looking to become active through Run Wales’s social running groups. The programme aims to play a key role in supporting the NHS in Wales by providing the people of Wales with this inspiration and the support and opportunity to help themselves become healthier, happier, and more physically active. Similarly, Welsh cycling’s Breeze, women-only cycle rides, are proving extremely popular, and this is great news, as it is encouraging more women and girls in Wales to participate in sport, and active recreation is one of our priorities.

The Welsh Government regards any major sporting event as an important step on a journey towards a healthy and active nation. Although difficult to demonstrate a definitive and direct link, there is some evidence to suggest that hosting elite sporting occasions, at which the world’s best perform, helps increase participation levels closer to home. Sporting events here in Wales showcase our sporting venues, and often our beautiful landscapes, and provide a home event in which Welsh athletes can compete, inspiring other people to continue with their chosen sport, or to try new ones. This year’s UEFA Champions League finals are a prime example of this, carrying with them an accompanying legacy programme that will deliver a new community venue, and, through the women’s final, throw a spotlight on the important work to encourage women and girls into sport.

So, I hope I’ve been able to demonstrate how the Welsh Government and Sport Wales are working constructively with a range of partners to help our communities become more active. Sport is undoubtedly an area that contributes significantly to help rebuild and transform people’s lives, and we aim to build upon the momentum we already have to help Wales become a healthier and fitter nation. Thank you.

Thank you very much. That brings today’s proceedings to a close.

The meeting ended at 17:50.