Sanlakapo Sports Day
Uniting south Asian residents through local community events
Sankalpo is a community group formed in February 2020 by like-minded families who wanted to advance cultural values amongst South Asian communities in Essex and surrounding counties.
The community group aims to improve health and wellbeing for residents living in the local community through various activities and events. They celebrate diverse cultures through promoting Indian art, heritage, traditional music, dance, and drama amongst the local community.
To unite and support local communities, a family-fun activity day was arranged at Chelmsford Sports and Athletics Centre which included a range of sports, activities and workshops. Over 100 local residents attended the day to join in different activities, volunteer or spectate. Activities included badminton, table tennis, indoor athletics, soft play and family activities. Key guest speakers attended to discuss mental wellbeing from InterAct and HSBC discussed family’s financial wellbeing and support.
The day saw South Asian Families in Essex come together meet new people and reduce social isolation and support physical and mental wellbeing. This highlighted positive experiences and learning about the importance of being active and bringing people together.
The support of volunteers within the community helped drive and deliver activities and events throughout the year, reaching more families and pushing ideas to help grow Sankalpo and the work it does.
Active Essex has supported Sankalpo since 2022 alongside the Find Your Active Community Connector, to develop their action plan for 2022/2023, providing them with local services and opportunities. In addition, the health and wellbeing activities were funded through the Together Fund.
