Active Kent & Medway work closely with Kent County Council, Medway Council and our twelve district councils. Through this collaboration we all contribute to the agenda of Move Together, Kent and Medway’s strategy for sport and physical activity, and our vision of more people, more active, more often.
In November 2023 Sport England announced a £250 million package of investment into their Place Partnerships work to help more people to be physically active by breaking down the barriers of participation. £190 million of the investment will be focused on 80-100 places across England that have the highest inactivity levels and greatest social need. An additional £35 million will be invested in strengthening work with existing place partnerships and £25 million into the Place Universal Offer which will be accessible to all.
Active Kent & Medway has been working hard to ensure that places within our county will benefit from this investment and Sport England has recently confirmed that we have been successful. Two places within Kent, Thanet and Gravesham, have been included in Sport England’s ‘first phase’ of 50 Places across England. In the case of the latter, the focus will be on two specific MSOAs (Middle layer Super Output Areas) within Gravesham – Northfleet North and Westcourt – as informed by Sport England Active Lives, IMD and other data sources.
The nature of the investment is still to be worked up, in conjunction with local partners and informed by consultation with community groups and organisations. Local voice will be critical to this area of work.
This exciting news comes at the same time as we announce a further £143,000 of investment from Sport England for the activation of Multi-sport Facilities across Dover, Folkestone, Thanet and Medway.
Liz Davidson, Active Partnership Director, Active Kent & Medway said,
“We are delighted to have two places included in the first phase of Sport England’s Place Partnerships programme and look forward to building on our work with colleagues in Gravesham and Thanet to develop a place-based systems approach to physical activity that reflects the unique priorities and needs of these two areas.
We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of this work are felt across the whole county. Through other opportunities like the Multi-sport Facilities Fund, Opening School Facilities Programme and the recently launched Movement Fund, we will develop our understanding of place-based working. Targeting efforts and resources where the need is greatest in order to realise our vision of more people, more active, more often.“
Watch this 4 minute film from Sport England about the ethos and learning behind creating change in places.
