Network Connects at APNO Event and AGM

The Active Partnerships National Organisation (APNO) hosted an event in Birmingham yesterday (5 December 2024) for the network’s CEOs and Chairs, with nearly all of the 43 Active Partnerships represented.

The event, which incorporated the charity’s AGM, was also attended by senior figures from Sport England including Chair, Chris Boardman, and Chief Executive, Tim Hollingsworth.

Following a welcome from APNO Chair, Dave Capper, Tim Hollingsworth delivered a keynote speech in which he highlighted the important role that Active Partnerships are playing in helping to deliver the Uniting the Movement strategy.

Tim said: “The Active Partnerships network is critical to the successful delivery of sport and physical activity across this country. You are prime enablers of local and effective engagement and we could not be embarking on or achieving what we are with Uniting the Movement without you.

“I think perhaps that is most paramount in your ability to engage with people on the ground. That has been critical for us particularly when we have been looking at the expansion of our place investment – an investment which adds up to a quarter of the total amount of money that Sport England spends every year.

“Active Partnerships have increasingly played a connecting and influencing role, ensuring the local sport and physical activity network is set up to tackle inequalities in a systemic way. You connect locally and engage in meaningful collaboration.”

Tim’s speech was followed by thought provoking workshops focusing on topics such as measuring impact and racial equality, and then later in the day Chris Boardman took part in a panel session alongside Steven Pleasant, Health Adviser at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, and Sureya Gulzar who is a trustee for Active Black Country.

The panel was chaired by Dave Capper, and the panellists faced questions from delegates on a variety of topics including devolution, environmental sustainability and health inequalities.

Sureya who is Head of Social Business for the Black Country Housing Group said: “I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to join the panel at the Active Partnerships event in Birmingham. We had a great discussion about the role social housing can play in reducing inequalities and increasing access to physical activity for our residents. As social housing landlords we have a privileged and trusted relationship with our residents and communities, enabling us to work with partners to unite around the physical activity agenda.”

As part of the AGM, the Active Partnerships National Organisation’s new board trustees were ratified. The new board members, who took up their roles in the summer, include the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jeanelle de Gruchy, Andy Daly-Smith, Co-Director for the Centre for Applied Educational Research, and Active Partnership CEOs, Clare Morley and Vicky Joel. Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director for Place, has also recently joined the board as a non-voting member and attended yesterday’s event too.

During the AGM, APNO’s Chief Executive Officer, Andy Taylor, provided a review of activity and progress for the organisation, highlighting, amongst many other things, the creation of the Sport Welfare Officer network, the collaborative cross-sector health events and excellent progress made on the multi-sport programme as key moments, and also talked about the charity’s priorities for the coming year.

Following the event, Dave Capper said: “It was fantastic to bring together CEOs and Chairs from across the Active Partnerships network and I would like to thank the APNO team for making today’s event such a success. Events like this are vital to really help strengthen, connect and enable the network. The power of our network is its local knowledge and this event allowed us to share learnings and collaborate in a very intentional and meaningful way.”