Sport England announces 53 new places across England to benefit from £250 million investment to tackle inequalities in activity levels and get more people active. Each place is in the top 10% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality.
Active Kent & Medway has worked hard to ensure that places within our county benefit from this investment and are pleased to announce that two places within Kent – Thanet and Gravesham, have been included in the first phase. 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 being worked up. Active Kent & Medway will work in conjunction with local partners and community organisations across Gravesham and Thanet to break down barriers and boost levels of physical activity among people living in the most deprived and inactive communities. Local voice will be critical to this work.
Conversations are also underway with Sport England in relation to the possibility of further places in Kent being included in the second phase of this programme and what the Place Universal Offer may mean for the county. The latter presents an exciting opportunity to further ensure community voice informs the systemic change needed to get more people, more active, more often.
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 Expansion Partnerships programme. We 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, Place Universal Offer and the 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.“
Sport England research calculates that active lifestyles save £10.5 billion a year for the health and social care system. This relieves some of the NHS burden, preventing 1.3 million cases of depression, 600,000 of diabetes and 57,000 of dementia (the UK’s leading cause of death) annually.
Less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for daily physical activity and women, people from lower socio-economic groups and Black and Asian people are still less likely to be active than other adults. To tackle these stubborn inequalities and break down barriers to a more active life, Sport England is taking a ‘Place-based approach’ – partnering with local organisations and leaders who understand both the specific needs of their communities and the local assets that are available – to support people to play sport and get active.
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director for Place, said: “We are proud to announce our partnerships with 53 new places in every corner of the country today. We know that where someone lives plays a huge part in how active, or not, they will be. Through our Place Expansion programme, we will work with local partners and communities to break down the barriers to physical activity so that everyone has equal access to a more active life.”
This 4-minute film from Sport England shares the ethos and learning behind creating change in places.
Follow this link to read about Place Partnerships
If you have any questions about Place Partnerships or would like further comment about the investment in Kent, please contact Liz Davidson-Kennett, Active Partnership Directory, Active Kent & Medway liz.davidson@kent.gov.uk
