Active Essex to challenge issues around physical inactivity

ACTIVE Essex, the county sports partnership (CSP) for Greater Essex has unveiled a bold new approach as it enters the second year of its strategic plan to get 1 million people active.

Recent figures suggest that a worrying 1 in 5 adults in Essex are not taking part in any form of physical activity or sport, and it is against this backdrop that Active Essex is introducing a new localised approach to its team structure, led by five dedicated Relationship Managers who will develop an even deeper understanding of the places they work and a closer relationships with local and community partners.

This reflects Active Essex’s close ties with Sport England, whose current strategy stresses the importance of targeted, local delivery to engage with inactive groups.

Running alongside local community initiatives, Active Essex will continue to build on the successful campaigns based on specific themes such as their ambassador programmes; This Girl Can Essex and Essex All Together which aim to inspire women and those with disabilities to increase their participation in sport and the schools programme which includes activities such as the School Games.

Through their strategy, Active Essex is striving to be a beacon of best practice for other CSPs and organisations who are working towards increasing participation in sport and physical activity.

Jason Fergus, director, Active Essex commented: “We know there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to reducing levels of inactivity and we are committed to working closely with local communities across Greater Essex to change 1 million lives by getting the county active. There are a number of reasons why people do not engage with sport and physical activity and by delivering targeted, community specific programmes, we hope to break down some of the barriers which prevent people taking part in sport and physical activity.”

Juliette Raison, the new Relationship Manager for the South West and theme lead for Core Market commented; “We already have a strong foundation in place and by increasing our local and themed approach, we hope we can respond directly to the needs of different communities in South West Essex.”

Cllr Ray Gooding, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for education, said: “As one of the largest counties in the country, we have the opportunity to lead the way in identifying new and sustainable ways to encourage more people to increase their participation in sport and physical activity. The Active Essex strategy will respond directly to the different needs of residents across Greater Essex.”

To explore different ways of increasing participation in physical activity and sport at a local level, Sport England recently selected Essex as one of just 12 pilot areas to gain a share of £100 million National Lottery funding to deliver a new pioneering pilot programme. The Essex Local Delivery Pilot will run in Colchester, Basildon and Tendring with the specific aim of increasing participation in sport and physical activity in currently inactive groups.

For more information about Active Essex visit www.activeessex.org