SOUTH HAMS’ sports clubs are bucking the national trend of declining numbers.

Sport England data shows that adults taking part in ‘30 minutes of moderate-intensity sport once a week’ in the South Hams is above regional and national trends for the past decade. Currently, 37.9 per cent of adults in the South Hams participate in sport at least once a week, compared with 36.2 per cent across the whole south west.

Perhaps it is the wonderful countryside luring people away from their screens, or it could be local olympic stars, such as divers Tom Daley and Tonia Couch, proving the inspiration.

Nationally, questions have been raised about the impact of the Olympic legacy three years after the London 2012 Games promised to ‘inspire a generation.’

The statistics have highlighted a big drop in grass-roots sport, with a decline of 220,000 participating in sport nationally than six months ago.

England’s most popular sport is swimming, with more than 2.5 million people taking part every week, although numbers show that 729,000 have stopped in the past decade. The other significant drop is in the keep-fit and gym sector, where numbers are down by 153,000.

Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said: ‘These are disappointing results. This is especially the case for swimming, where a serious long-term decline needs to be reversed.’

However, Tom Rhodes, marketing coordinator at Tone Leisure in the South Hams, said: ‘Swimming and gym membership have proved a stronger area of the business this year. We’ve had 4,000 more gym and fitness class users this year and 2,000 more users of our swimming pool.

‘There’s been a gradual rise in membership numbers at our leisure centres. We run clubs and camps in the summer holidays, as well as monthly campaigns, offers and initiatives.’

With the many excellent routes across the South Hams, it’s no wonder cyclists can be seen all year round. There have been several new clubs and informal groups springing up in recent years.

Sean McQuitty from Kingsbridge Cycling Club said: ‘KCC was founded in April 2014. We started with two riders and now have 43 and are continuing to grow. We’ve had as many as 16 riders on a club ride, but our ­average is six or seven.

‘As well as local rides from Kingsbridge, we venture further afield for events such as The Dartmoor Classic and Moor 2 Sea, and we ­regularly have a dozen or more from Kings-bridge attending, with ­numbers increasing.

‘The club’s recently attracted sponsorship from Kingsbridge-based First Peninsula Corporation. As we continue to grow, costs are increasing, so sponsorship has been essential. We’re open for new members and ride all year round.’

Will Hornby from Cycle Sport South Hams said: ‘Since the Olympics our club’s doing well, with more senior – over-18 – ­members taking part in competitive races.

‘We’re not doing so well in terms of youth racing or youth coaching, but hopefully this is something we can improve on.

‘I’ve organised an early-season road race for men for the past five years and the numbers have increased every year. I’ve also organised a women’s race for the past two years and its number of entrants has risen from 20 to 29.’

‘It can be difficult to find venues for competitions, particularly for under-16s, as they can’t race on public ­highways. The Torbay Velopark is a great resource, being the first dedicated cycling venue in the south west. We’ve hired it for training, although as its an hour’s drive we can’t train there regularly.’

‘People can be put off cycling because they feel it costs a lot of money to buy all the equipment. However, it’s important to remember that it’s about the quality of the athlete and not the equipment.

‘People often think they have to be at a ­certain level of fitness before they can join the club, but that isn’t the case. We’re a local club for local cyclists and

we encourage anyone of any age and ability to join.’