Residents can look forward to enjoying new and traditional sports activities thanks to more than £200,000 awarded to a project.

East Ham Active is among 88 projects that have received a share of £15 million from the National Lottery’s Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund.

The East Ham project, which is based at the Well Community Centre in Vicarage Lane, was set up in partnership between Bonny Downs Community Association and the Renewal Programme in response to a need for more inclusive sports activities for the area’s residents.

The cash, £207,046 in total, will allow the project to develop a new programme designed to encourage both younger (14+) and older people in the area to try a new sport after feedback from the community that there was not enough provision for trying new activities.

Peter Laing of Bonny Downs Community Association, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive funding from the Community Sport Activation Fund. It will allow us to develop our sports provision for folks 14 years and over. We offer a selection of exciting non-traditional sports such as walking football, catch wrestling and wheelchair basketball as a way for people to get into new sports and get them coming back for more. We are also providing more traditional sports like table tennis, cycling and football in new places and at new times.”

Designed in response to local demand, the Community Sport Activation Fund allows local authorities, charities and other organisations to apply for funding for innovative projects that will get more people playing sport.