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.