AN £800,000 fund has been set up in a bid to encourage the least active people in Scotland to take up some form of exercise.
The new scheme, which is being launched one year since the start of Glasgow 2014, is aiming to help boost physical activity as one of the key legacies from the Commonwealth Games.
Around one in five Scots - 21 per cent - are currently classed as physically inactive, meaning they carry out less than 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week.
The groups who are most at risk of being inactive include people with a disability or long-term health condition, the elderly, teenage girls and some ethnic minority groups.
It is estimated that physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths in Scotland and costs the NHS around £91 million every year.
The Scottish Government-funded scheme is being run by Spirit of 2012, an independent trust and Commonwealth Games legacy partner that will award grants of up to £70,000 to projects which work to encourage physical activity in local communities.
Projects which Spirit of 2012 has previously been involved in include the setting up of 'pop-up' clubs across the UK to encourage young people from disadvantaged areas to try out a range of sports, such as athletics, table tennis and badminton.
Last summer around 750 young people attended a camp just outside Glasgow to take part in activities and outdoor games, as well as attending a Commonwealth Games event.
Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said putting in place long-term changes to encourage Scots to become more active was one of the key legacies of Glasgow 2014.
He added: "We need a culture change where more people understand that being physically active is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and can take action to be more active in their daily lives."
Debbie Lye, chief executive of Spirit of 2012, said: "Events are not a magic wand. Yet, with the right support and investment, they can be the spark to generate change.
"Once the lights go down on the closing ceremony the real work starts. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year were a momentous milestone in the history of a brilliant city, and now it's time to help the legacy live on."
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