Thanet

Introduction

Thanet is one of Active Kent & Medway’s four Place Partnerships areas, selected as part of Sport England’s national £250 million Place Partnerships programme to tackle inactivity and reduce health inequalities. As a Phase 1 investment area, Thanet is one of the most deprived districts in the country and faces some of the poorest health outcomes in Kent, making it a place where a long‑term, community‑led approach can have real and lasting impact.

Our place‑based work in Thanet is rooted in listening to local people, strengthening local partnerships and creating the conditions for whole‑system change. Thanet’s communities experience wide‑ranging inequalities, including low physical activity levels among children and young people, high rates of depression, and significant barriers linked to unemployment, preventable ill‑health and social mobility.

Over the past year, our partners, including Thanet District Council, Kent County Council Public Health, East Kent NHS Trust, Your Leisure, Social Enterprise Kent and numerous community organisations, have helped shape the early phases of Thanet’s Place Partnerships work. Together, we’ve been developing local insight, mapping community assets, and delivering Test and Learn projects such as youth‑led Street Sports sessions, which have demonstrated the power of creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming spaces for young people. These projects are already surfacing rich learning about what meaningful, place‑based physical activity looks like in Thanet.

As the Place Partnerships programme progresses, we’ll continue to work closely with residents, partners and organisations across Thanet to co‑design long‑term, sustainable change.

Meet Thanet’s Community Connectors

Our Community Connectors play a vital role in bridging strategic Place Partnership goals with the lived experiences of local residents, ensuring community voices shape meaningful, place‑based action.

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