Dave Capper blogs about his first 12 months as Chair of the APNO

It’s now nearly 12 months since I took on the role of Chair of the Active Partnerships National Organisation (APNO), and with the end of the calendar year also drawing near, it feels like the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on the last twelve months.

To be honest, it is hard to believe a year has already passed, but it has been action packed, so that’s probably why it feels like it has gone so quickly.

It has definitely been a year of change and we’ve moved forward at pace, so it has been a really exciting and interesting time to be Chair of this important organisation and I’ve enjoyed being part of such a wonderfully collaborative network.

Stand out moments

Because so much has happened, it has been hard to select just a few stand out moments but one of the highlights of my first year has to be the unveiling of the Active Partnerships National Organisation’s first ever strategy.

Working with the team and fellow board trustees on the strategy was a really important process and it was a very useful one too, as it provided us and the network with real clarity about our vision and mission and really focused our thoughts on how we plan to bring these to life over the next few years.

Another highlight for me has been watching the Opening School Facilities programme go from strength to strength. Leading on this programme has fundamentally changed how we operate as an organisation and enabled the wider positioning of our work and the network.

Nearly 1,500 schools nationwide are now involved in this programme and more than 315,000 children and young people are taking part in activities hosted at these schools. This is definitely something we can all be proud of.

The Active Partnerships’ involvement in the creation of the Sport Welfare Officer (SWO) network has also demonstrated the integral role that we can play in a really significant area.

This work has also seen the national team and the network working with important partners such as the Ann Craft Trust and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, and we’ve formed even stronger relationships with existing partners such as national governing bodies for sport. Their advice and knowledge sharing has been invaluable over the last few months.

The National Organisation will lead and co-ordinate the SWO network, which will include 63 officers, some of whom have already started work, and to enable us to do this, two new members of staff are joining the team in the New Year. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this network develops in 2024 and to observe how these officers will strengthen existing safeguarding work.

Another recent announcement that highlighted the importance of the Active Partnerships network was focused on Sport England’s investment of up to £190 million in 80 to 100 new places. This is a major expansion of support for local communities and Active Partnerships will play a crucial role in ensuring that this funding reaches those places that have the greatest need when it comes to being able to access sport and physical activity.

This place-based approach, where the investment will be channeled through our network, fully recognises the extensive local knowledge and connections that Active Partnerships have established.

I have learned so much about place-based approach to funding. So much so that it has really inspired some work I am involved with Westfield Health in South Yorkshire, where I hope to announce in 2024 a very novel and innovative private / public sector alliance, focused on driving innovation centred on population health and physical activity in workplaces, schools and communities.  If approved, Yorkshire Sport will have an integral role to connect, enable and strengthen the system in South Yorkshire.

My role as Chair has also meant that I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to some of the excellent events that have been delivered over the last 12 months and one of these, which took place in early Autumn, not only felt like a real milestone moment, but it also superbly demonstrated why the network has a well deserved reputation for excellent collaboration.

It brought together representatives from Active Partnerships and several partners, including those in the health sector. It was an event that really showcased the incredible work that has been done in designing physical activity into health and care systems. It’s an area of work where everyone recognises that we can have a real and meaningful impact.

This was recently underlined when the Deputy Chief Medical Offcer, Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, joined our AGM just a few weeks ago. Her presentation really highlighted why the work of the network and our partners is so important, because if we can achieve our vision of making active lives the norm for everyone, no matter the barriers that they currently face, then the positive benefits for the health of the nation would be huge.

Our AGM was also a great opportunity for me to thank outgoing board trustees. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some brilliant people like Mike Sandys, Amanda Pierce Higgins and Tom Douglas, all of whom have now left their roles.

It has also been great to welcome new faces including Julie Amies, Born Barikor, Neil Fletcher and Jack Shakespeare. They are already making their mark, by bringing fresh ideas and expertise to the board table.

The support of our board trustees has been particularly important during the period of transistion that the Active Partnerships National Organisation has navigated in the last eighteen months and it’s been important to have in place a strong governance structure, as that has allowed for the agile decision making which has benefited the network.

Change is a theme that’s likely to continue over the next 12 months too and 2024 looks set to be another exciting year for APNO and the network.

The APNO team has quickly grown in recent months, allowing for greater connection across the network and with our partners and even more new faces will be joining in the new year. As a board, we’ll be continuing to provide support and challenge, ensuring the team is forward thinking and focused on delivering against the ambitions that were highlighted in the new strategy.

We’ll also be looking for new trustees to join the board and we’ll be starting that recruitment process early in 2024, so if you like what you’ve read and you are keen to work with us, look out for details in the new year.

Collaboration will no doubt continue to be a key theme over the next 12 months and as we come to the end of 2023, I’d like to thank everyone who has worked with us this year.

Our collective strength as a network has helped to increase our impact and we know this will continue to be important as we relentlessly pursue our mission of making it easier for every single person to enjoy an active life.