Our 2023 Sport and Physical Activity Network: Everyone’s talking about place, took place on Thursday 23rd November at Gloucestershire County Cricket Ground.
The event aimed to bring together organisations from across the West of England, all with a common goal of getting more people active. On the day it was great to see 120 people from across the network in attendance.
The event consisted of presentations from guest speakers including Tom Beasley, CEO Active Gloucestershire and Mark Hubbard, VCSE Lead at BNSSG Integrated Care Board.
Sessions throughout the day included:
- People, Partnerships and Place: Similarities, learning and opportunities (Tom Beasley - CEO Active Gloucestershire)
By focussing on developing trusted relationships, Active Gloucestershire have developed a place-based approach to sport and physical activity. This is joined up with a social movement and a single strategy for sport and physical activity in Gloucestershire called “we can move”. Tom shared some of the successes, opportunities, and challenges from the work as well as a little of the theory that underpins it. He also shared what he’s learnt about collaboration and creating the conditions for change.
- Partnerships and Collaboration: The importance of working in partnerships when working with local communities (Mark Hubbard – VCSE Lead, at BNSSG Integrated Care Board (Former Development Director at Voscur)
This session explored the opportunities and benefits of working in partnership and collaboration. Mark presented information on local examples, sharing the learnings and some reflections, whilst providing local context and links to strategies.
- Focus on place: Active Weston
Active Weston is a group of local stakeholders led by Wesport and North Somerset Council. The group supports the work of the One Weston, Worle and Villages locality partnership in reducing health inequalities across the local population. This session provided information on how Active Weston operates as a collective, enabling all residents to be active across the life course and recognise the multiple benefits being physically active can bring.
- Everyone’s talking about place: Facilitated table discussions
This session provided a chance for table discussions based on the place-based presentations heard earlier in the morning.
- Community Partners: The impact of Together Fund
The Together Fund aimed to use sport, physical activity and movement to reduce widening inequalities in targeted audiences, during and post Covid. These being culturally diverse communities, people with a disability, people with long term health conditions and those on low incomes. This session showcased the overall picture through the Together Fund across the West of England and local partners gave presentations on the work they were able to achieve through the fund.
- Networking: Connect, share and learn
This session provided all attendees the chance to explore themed topic discussion tables. Connect with people with similar aims or objectives, or those working in the same place.
You can view all of the presentations from the event here.
Below shows the two-word clouds generated on the day with attendees’ answers. They show what attendees wanted to gain from the day and what their takeaway from the day was. As you can see very clearly through these, connections and networking were very high on people’s agenda and the day provided these opportunities.
In one word - What are you hoping to get out of the day?
In one word - What is your takeaway from today?
