Project title: PARS BEAT
Region: Dunfermline, Scotland
Award amount: £13,800
Date: October 2025
Coronary heart disease is amongst the biggest problem for adults living in Dunfermline. 15% of the population in Dunfermline live in areas of deprivation, where disease rates are highest. Adults have low physical activity levels and high rates of obesity as well as high levels of alcohol-related harm and hospital admissions. Again, these issues are worse in our most deprived communities which are negatively impacted by health and social inequalities. Adult life expectancy and adult healthy life expectancy are nearly 10 years lower for men and women in our most deprived communities.
Pars Beat is a 12 month project that uses the power and passion of football to engage our community to take better control of their heart health. The project has 3 main goals, to increase awareness, improve access to health screening and empower sustainable lifestyle changes. It aims to do this through weekly fitness and nutrition sessions, monthly community workshops and regular health monitoring and screening. They will also facilitate health walks twice a week for further low-intensity exercise. Peer support sessions are in place throughout this project to help ensure beneficiaries are meeting their personal goals.
Pars Beat will also be hosting health screening events during Dunfermline Athletic FC home matches for supporters to have blood pressure checks and sign up for the project if their results show them at risk. This will ensure those taking part in the project are those at need.
The project will use a first team member from Dunfermline Athletic FC as a project ambassador as well as involve coaches and specialists from the club to educate the beneficiaries. The project aims to take a number of health measures from the participants to show the success of the project and the progress individuals have made, these include cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Some participants from Pars Beat will be trained to become volunteer ambassadors and they will keep the project running in the future by delivering it to new cohorts. This will support The Pars Foundation in reaching its targeted 130 direct beneficiaries from the Pars Beat project.