The updated public guidance is the latest phase of a return for outdoor sport and recreation.

Groups of up to six people from different households will be able to exercise outside as long as they remain at least two metres apart. Gatherings of more than six people from different households are still not permitted.

This means that people who play team sports can meet to train together and do things like conditioning or fitness sessions, although anything involving physical contact is not allowed. It will also allow parents to accompany their children to coaching sessions carried out on a one to one basis or in small groups.

The guidance will reiterate that people should wash their hands frequently and keep equipment sharing to a minimum. Outdoor gyms, playgrounds and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools will remain closed.

It follows rules on exercise being initially relaxed from 14 May, to allow people greater access to local, outdoor physical activity. This allowed the public to go outside for unlimited exercise, alone or with their household, or one other person while adhering to social distancing rules. It also permitted outdoor sports facilities such as golf courses and tennis courts to reopen, with strict safety measures in place.

On 28 May the Prime Minister announced that groups of up to six people will be able to meet outdoors in England from 1 June, including in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, provided social distancing guidelines are followed.

The changes are part of a carefully-designed package to ease the burdens of lockdown in a way that is expected to keep the R rate, the average number of secondary infections produced by 1 infected person, down.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said:

The coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated to so many of us how important exercise and fitness is, both for our physical and mental wellbeing, and I am hopeful that people will continue to make time for it as life gradually returns to normal.

This next step will allow more of us to exercise with more people from outside our households providing social distancing is maintained.

We are working hard to get grassroots sport back up and running safely too, so that people can reunite with their own football, rugby or cricket teammates and get back on their pitches, fields or athletic tracks. But we will only do this when it is safe and appropriate to do so, based upon scientific advice.

This guidance will be for people in England. When visiting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, you must adhere to the advice of the devolved administrations at all times.

It is part of the government’s clear, phased approach to recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, as outlined in the Prime Minister’s roadmap.

ENDS

Read further Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance on the phased return of sport and recreation including for:

Four projects which will protect and restore valuable habitats have been selected to receive funding in a pilot scheme to encourage sustainable private sector investment in our natural environment.

Defra, the Environment Agency (EA), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) and Triodos Bank UK have formed a collaboration to support environmental projects to create sustainable funding models.

Having been sourced and evaluated by Triodos Bank UK the projects will receive grant funding from Defra, the EA and EFF to support their development, complete business plans to attract private sector investment, and deliver long-term environmental benefits and sustainable financial returns.

The four projects receiving funding are:

• Devon Wildlife Trust’s restoration of the Caen wetlands
• Rivers Trust’s work on natural flood management in the Wyre catchment in Lancashire
• NFU’s work to reduce nitrate pollution in Poole Harbour
• Moors for the Future Partnership’s restoration and conservation of peatlands in the Pennines

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

In England we are increasingly seeing new extreme weather accelerate from wettest to driest and back again, restoring nature is key to managing this.

You can’t put a price on nature, but investing in its recovery can generate a steady return and will make the UK economy more clean and resilient. These projects are designed to attract investment into local economies while developing models for businesses to use and scale up around the world.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

The UK is taking a leading global role in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, but given the scale of the challenge ahead it is crucial that environmental projects have the tools they need to attract private sector investment alongside our government support.

Ensuring we have a green recovery from coronavirus will be especially important at this time, and this collaboration provides vital financial expertise and support to create funding models which can be used by other projects up and down the country.

The government’s 25 Year Environment Plan made clear that while the public sector will continue to be an important source of funding for the natural environment, it is critical that this is alongside more private sector investment to protect and enhance our environment.

That is why the government committed £10m in the Budget to support natural environment projects to attract private sector investment through the Natural Environment Impact Fund, from 2021.

The government and the Environment Agency are also working to ensure that our recovery from coronavirus is clean and resilient, tackling climate change and boosting nature.

In order to help project developers up and down the country attract investment, the lessons learned from these projects will also be made freely available.

Caroline Mason, Chief Executive of Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said:

We need bold action and impact like never before when it comes to protecting our natural world. If the current crisis is to be successfully reversed, more money will be crucial. With these grants we hope to explore both the potential and the limits for generating revenue to deliver environmental outcomes. If we understand the models that can make money and can be funded through private capital, we can raise additional money for nature and make sure that public and philanthropic funding goes where it’s most needed.

Dr Bevis Watts, Chief Executive of Triodos Bank UK, said:

We have invested over two years of our resources and expertise into finding viable financial projects in this new area and were delighted to bring these partners together. We believe that connecting economic outcomes to investment in environmental restoration is possible and can deliver benefits, in terms of carbon storage, air quality, flood management and human health, as well as enhancing biodiversity and wildlife habitats.

Triodos has always been a pioneer in sustainable finance, for example in early renewable energy and organic food & farming. Now linking the economic and societal benefits we take for granted from nature to investment in its restoration is a key challenge we are leading on. The finance sector needs to play its role and use more imagination in how economic outcomes can be linked to investment in nature. We hope we can build on these pilot projects and replicate them to secure further investment in addressing the environmental crises we face.

Natural Flood Management in the River Wyre catchment

The use of natural flood management, including the building of leaky dams, the creation of bog, and the rewetting of peat, on 70 hectares of the River Wyre catchment by the Rivers Trust would help to reduce the frequency of flooding for a number of properties in Lancashire.

At the same time as reducing flood risk, these natural flood management schemes will create new habitats for wildlife and help to mitigate climate change through the storage of greenhouse gases in the newly created wetlands and peatlands.

The seed funding will allow The Rivers Trust to work with the Wyre Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, United Utilities, Triodos Bank UK, Co-op Insurance and Flood Re, to develop a financial instrument that would allow upfront investment from the private sector to be reimbursed by the beneficiaries of a healthier environment.

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust, said:

At a time when we are facing a climate emergency, we must find new ways to invest in recovery of the natural processes that protect and support us, at a scale and pace that can make a difference. Hard engineering alone will not address our future flood risk challenges and must be supplemented by natural solutions.

We believe that by implementing natural flood risk management features at scale, we could see significant financial returns from a better river environment. We expect this pilot to lead to future natural capital investment and build a credible case for green investment to restore our river landscapes.

Restoration of the River Caen wetlands

Sitting on the northern bank of the River Caen, the Caen Wetlands project is a bold and innovative proposal to create a stunning habitat and visitor resource in northern Devon. The wetlands site is one of the UK’s most important sites for wetland birds but is under pressure from human impacts, climate change, and rising sea levels.

Devon Wildlife Trust has recently completed on the purchase of its 57th Nature Reserve – Horsey Island. Located in the heart of the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Horsey Island is a wildlife rich area of intertidal wetland habitats extending to over 80 hectares. Horsey borders the tidal reaches of the River Caen which flows through Braunton and out into the Taw Estuary.

Alongside the restoration of the habitat, the development of the site for ecotourism through a visitor centre and other facilities will provide a source of income, with the seed funding being used by Devon Wildlife Trust to develop a business case for investment in this project.

Harry Barton, Devon Wildlife Trust CEO, said:

This is a truly outstanding natural and cultural landscape – over the coming months we’ll be working alongside a wide range of partners, expert consultants and local communities to explore the opportunities to create new wetland habitats and visitor facilities, where people will have the opportunity to see north Devon’s wildlife at its best.

Poole Harbour Nutrient Management Scheme

One of the largest natural harbours in the world, Poole Harbour in Dorset is of international importance to wildlife, being home to a vast range of aquatic life and wetland birds, including egrets, ringed plovers, and grebe.

However, as a habitat for wildlife, it is now under pressure, with nutrients such as nitrate from agriculture in its catchment flowing down into the harbour and leading to a rapid growth of algae which smothers the estuarine habitat and reduces the amount of food available for birds.

Through the Poole Harbour Nutrient Management Scheme, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is aiming to work with and support the farmer-led collaboration in the catchment, equipping them with tools to reduce their use of nitrates.

The proposed innovative, industry-led model is designed to offer both environmental benefits and productivity gains for farming businesses. The local community, water companies and local government will all see benefits from the improved water quality.

Melanie Squires, NFU South West regional director, said:

The project will enable us to develop exciting, innovative, solution-based collaborative working methods across the agricultural and land management sectors and beyond. Working in partnership we aim to deliver significant reductions in nitrate leaching, improving water quality in Poole Harbour and the rest of the catchment. All parties with an interest in the catchment are involved in this work, which has farming and farmers at its heart.

Peatland restoration in the Pennines

Peatlands have a vital part to play in tackling climate change, storing more carbon than all other types of vegetation in the world combined, and damage to peatlands is a major source of carbon emissions.

The peatlands of the south and west Pennines are some of the most degraded in uplands in Europe, and as well as being damaged in the past by the coal-fired industry in Manchester and Sheffield, they are facing future pressure from hot summers and wet winters due to climate change.

The Moors for the Future Partnership is already working to restore and conserve peatland in the area, but needs to attract greater investment in order to carry out this work on a larger scales to protect more of this vital habitat.

It is hoped this project will be successful in developing a range of returns, including financial, for investors.

Christopher Dean, Head of Programme Delivery from the Moors for the Future Partnership, said:

The partnership has been operating for 17 years and has transformed huge areas of bare and eroding peat. As these peatlands are at the forefront of the effects of climate change, there is an urgent need for restoration to continue so that we can deliver full ecosystem service returns.

This pilot is a natural successor to the landscape-scale work that has already been achieved and will allow the partnership to pioneer the development of the next generation of sustainable financing for vital peatland conservation work.

• The extensive capacity now available makes this one of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities
• To achieve this more than 150 drive through and mobile testing sites have been set up across the UK and the new NHS Test and Trace service has been rolled out to ramp up the coronavirus response The UK-wide target to build testing capacity to 200,000 tests a day has been reached.

The rapid expansion of testing capabilities has led to the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history. The capacity of NHS and Public Health England labs has been more than doubled, over 150 drive through and mobile testing units are in operation, and new innovative testing solutions such as home testing kits and lab-based antibody tests have been introduced from scratch.

The 200,000 testing capacity target was reached yesterday, at 205,634 (Saturday 30 May).

The increased testing capacity has now allowed for the rollout of the new NHS Test and Trace system, which will identify and isolate new cases of the virus, controlling its spread and helping to gradually and safely ease lockdown measures.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Reaching our 200,000 capacity target is an important milestone on our journey to control the spread of the virus, save lives and gradually ease lockdown.

By rapidly expanding our testing capacity, we have been able to introduce NHS Test and Trace, and enabling those who have coronavirus symptoms to get a test is an important part of the programme.

I want to thank and pay tribute to the incredible team who joined together in one of the greatest national mobilisations that we’ve seen. We brought together the best minds in the civil service, NHS, PHE, universities and the scientific community, the armed forces and private sector companies across the globe to reach this incredible achievement.

This is by no means the end of our ramping up of testing. We will continue to build upon the tremendous work so far, exploring new technology and deliver even more test results.

The UK was one of first countries in the world to develop a PCR swab test to identify who currently has the virus, and teams across the public and private sectors and academia have worked tirelessly to expand testing to all those who are symptomatic. A rapid test which can return results in 20 minutes is now being trialled in Hampshire, with hospitals, GP practices and care homes using it to quickly identify if staff and patients have the virus.

Testing capacity has also been expanded by new innovations developed since the outbreak began, including antibody tests to identify who may previously have had the virus. There is now a 40,000 antibody testing capacity available daily to NHS and social care staff, enabling us to gather information and understand how the virus has previously spread.

Surveillance testing is also underway to develop a greater understanding of how the virus is moving through the population. So far, more than 250,000 surveillance tests have been done across the UK.

National Testing Coordinator Professor John Newton said:

The expansion of our testing capacity has allowed us to take important steps to control the virus, including the introduction of a world-class contact tracing service that will help us to safely ease lockdown over time. I am proud to say that anyone in the country who needs a test can get one, regardless of where in the country they are.

We will continue to develop and grow our testing capabilities, to learn more about transmission of the virus and how it has previously spread.

The capacity to conduct 200,000 tests each day has been made up of:

• Capacity of more than 112,000 tests across the new network of diagnostic testing facilities, made up of home testing kits, drive through sites, mobile testing units and supported by new mega laboratories.
• Capacity of more than 40,000 antibody tests, currently offered to NHS staff and care workers across the country to understand who may previously have had the virus and how it has spread.
• Surveillance testing is also underway to develop greater understanding of how the virus is moving through the population. So far, more than 250,000 surveillance tests have been done across the UK. Work continues to further develop and expand the Government’s testing capabilities, including to reduce the time it takes for a test result to be delivered and continued research and verification of new kinds of tests.

Thank you, Secretary of State.

Firstly can I add my own condolences to the families and friends of all those who have so sadly passed away, due to COVID-19.

At the outset of this awful crisis it became clear that what we needed to do, was do all we can to make sure we were protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

And we must continue to do so, the pandemic is not over.

For homeless people, the task was to bring as many people in off the streets and out of communal shelters.

The goal was to protect rough sleepers from the virus, give them the chance to self-isolate, and, ultimately therefore, to do the best we can to save their lives.

There was an absolutely extraordinary response, across the public sector, charities and businesses in response to my call to get ‘everyone in’.

Those efforts have resulted in close to 15,000 people across England now being helped.

I’d like to take this opportunity, alongside the Secretary of State, to thank everyone involved – it was an extraordinary and unusual endeavour. From the dedicated outreach workers, the hard-working council staff to hotels that have opened their doors, and faith and community groups who provided friendship and food.

It has been a heartening example of what we can do when we need to do it and the best of Britain in this time of crisis.

And, by bringing almost everyone in, we now have an another extraordinary and unusual endeavour ahead, to try and change their lives for good beyond the immediate response to COVID-19.

I stand ready to work with all partners and esteemed colleagues in Wales, in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.

So, I’m really pleased the government is investing in these 6,000 new homes along with the extra support and money for the costs of their support. Meaning that we can help the most vulnerable rough sleepers, in the long term.

This is a really good start. I am grateful to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister for their support. But none of us should underestimate the challenge ahead in order to keep everyone in.

There is much more that we need to do, but for now, I’d just like to thank – those in local government, the health service, the civil servants and the countless charities and community groups, who have helped protect this, one of our most vulnerable groups in our society, during this pandemic.

And those, such as the Prince’s Trust, Business in the Community, Comic Relief, the Anglican and Catholic churches who have pledged wider support.

So, now that so many are inside, I hope that we can keep it that way. What has been done here, is a small but incredible silver lining – in the dark cloud, that is COVID-19.

Thank you.