Schemes centred on overcoming physical inactivity across the country are to benefit from a £5.4m tranche of National Lottery funding from Sport England.

Sixteen projects nationwide have been awarded between £91,500 and £500,000 to help transform lives through the power of exercise. Among those to receive funding are the University of Hertfordshire’s Inactive Adults programme, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s Weight Management service and Community Sports Trust CIC’s scheme for inactive older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Overall, tens of thousands of people – including over-65s, those with type 2 diabetes and people with drug and alcohol problems – will get the chance to be more active as a result of the funding.

Inactivity costs the economy £7.4bn a year, according to Public Health England figures, while evidence shows that if adults are physically active, it helps to prevent or manage more than 20 chronic health conditions, including heart disease, cancer and dementia.

To coincide with the funding announcement, recently-appointed sports minister Tracey Crouch visited the Active Norfolk county sports partnership in Norwich to see how its new project, Mobile Me, will benefit from the investment.

The scheme, which is designed to make it easier for inactive older people living in sheltered housing or residential care homes to start being more physically active, follows an earlier project called Fun and Fit, aimed at younger adults.

“What's great about these projects is the fact that they are giving people opportunities to get moving in ways that suit them,” said Crouch.

“It's so important people are active at every stage of their life, not just in terms of fitness, but it's also key to maintaining a healthy body and mind, as well as ensuring good quality of life."