Move Together – One Year On
Introduction
A year on from the launch of Move Together, Kent and Medway’s strategy for sport and physical activity, we’ve been hearing back from partners on how they are contributing to the strategy, what’s working and what we need to do better to achieve our shared vision of ‘more people, more active, more often’ across the county.
Since the launch in 2023, over 80 partners have pledged their support to the strategy and over 140 partner connections have been made.
The strategy sets out how we can all work together to support those who are already active, as well as tackling the inequalities that prevent some from moving more in their everyday lives. Focusing on five key priorities: Connecting Communities, Health and Wellbeing, Positive Experiences for Children and Young People, Supporting Sport, Active Environments.
Connecting Communities
Making it easier for people to be active locally and using sport and physical activity’s unique ability to make places better to live in and bring people together, particularly where inequalities are greatest.
Partners are…
- Committed to reducing barriers to sport and physical activity
- Working collaboratively to provide inclusive opportunities
- Creating communities who support and inspire one another to be active
We need to…
- Continue to break down the barriers that prevent certain communities from being active
- See greater collaboration and partnership working
“During the Moving Well project, I trained as a swimming lifeguard and a community health researcher… This has made me more financially independent, confident, and raised my aspirations, the outcomes I was not expecting to achieve when I joined the project.”
Medway Diversity Forum Participant
Health and Wellbeing
Creating partnerships and opportunities that enable everyone to benefit from an active lifestyle.
Partners are…
- Upskilling themselves to understand the connection between health and physical activity
- Promoting the benefits of being active on people’s physical and mental health
- Working together to embed physical activity into the lives of their communities
We need to…
- Continue having conversations to build knowledge and confidence
- Show the impact being active has on reducing health inequalities
“Our work is aligned very closely with a shared vision of improving access to local physical activity opportunities and removing barriers for all to become more active.”
Medway Public Health
Positive Experiences for Children and Young People
Enabling children and young people to enjoy being active and creating the right foundations for a long, active and healthy life.
Partners are…
- Providing inclusive physical activity opportunities for children and young people
- Putting the needs of the child at the centre of what they do
- Giving children and young people a strong foundation from which they can build an active lifestyle
We need to…
- Continue working in partnership to encourage, support and increase participation
- Work more collaboratively to reduce barriers and increase opportunities
“Open and honest working relationships means that we can tackle challenges head-on and together.”
Bubble & Scruff
Supporting Sport
Supporting local organisations to better understand their community and to deliver activities that are appropriate to people’s needs and motivations.
Partners are…
- Tackling inactivity and the inequalities that prevent people from being active
- Offering high quality experiences that are accessible to all
- Providing opportunities to upskill their workforce with the knowledge to understand communities they work with
We need to…
- Be better at promoting the offerings available to local communities
- Work with partners to ensure their offering is appealing to a wider, more diverse audience
“We are working across East Kent to help the most disadvantaged to get active. Through various projects we enable different communities to engage in activities close to where they live, reducing perceived barriers and have fun while being more active.”
Your Leisure
Active Environments
Creating and protecting places and spaces that make it easier for people to be active.
Partners are…
- Providing innovative, sustainable facilities for all to access and enjoy
- Promoting the physical and mental benefits of being active
- Continuing to make local green and blue spaces more inclusive, diverse and accessible
We need to…
- Continue to share ideas and information on how to develop dedicated physical activity spaces
- Work together to create an environment that is accessible to all
“Local leadership on this vital element of placemaking is critical to ensuring good quality neighbourhoods are built to promote active travel and enable good access to spaces and places to be active.”
Sport England
The Essentials
As well as considering where we can all focus our efforts to encourage more people to be more active, we also need to think about how we work to ensure we are all supporting long-term sustainable change.
Partners are…
- Upskilling their workforce to ensure the right people are delivering with the right skills
- Using insight to inform their decisions, breakdown barriers and create opportunities
- Exploring opportunities to ensure project sustainability is built in form the outset
We need to…
- Champion equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do
- Continue to share project learnings to help other organisation understand what works and what doesn’t
“Our values are based on humility, a sense of fun and including all participants as partners. We challenge assumptions and expectations of age and ageing across the course of life.”
Moving Memory Dance
What's Next?
As we look to the future and the next 12 months, we will continue to work in partnership with local and national organisations, deepening our understanding of the barriers and inequalities that prevent many from being active, whilst building on the great work that is already going on to get more people, more active, more often. We will continue to encourage more partners and stakeholders to pledge to Move Together, to connect with us and with each other. We are committed to enabling everyone, whatever their age, gender, race, ability, social circumstance or background, to benefit from an active, healthier lifestyle.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the Move Together strategy, please email activekent@kent.gov.ukand one of the team will be in touch.