Sport England unveils the 53 new places it will work with to tackle inactivity

To tackle inactivity in 53 places across the country, Sport England is partnering with local organisations, including Active Partnerships, and with local leaders who understand the specific needs of their communities. Each place will receive more investment, to address regional inequalities and support more people to be active.

After issuing a warning that regional inequalities in activity levels “damage health and undermine growth”, Sport England has selected 53 places to work with in this first phase of place expansion work, all of which are in the top 10% in the country when it comes to inactivity, social need, or deprivation and health inequality.

It will work closely with Active Partnerships and other partners, working in a ‘place-based way’, so that the right conditions are created in local places, to address inequalities and build relationships that create positive change and support active lives for all.

‘Place-based’ working involves taking a bespoke approach to each area, identifying the major barriers to activity that each place faces and working to dismantle them. Working in this way is vital because the evidence shows that the place where a person lives, and their individual circumstances, can have a huge influence on how active they are.

Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock said: “Sport England’s targeted ‘place-based’ work will help more people in the communities that need it most to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits that an active lifestyle supports.

“As we deliver our Plan for Change, providing greater access to good-quality sport and physical activity in every part of the country will boost opportunity, support economic growth and help tackle persistent health inequalities through prevention.”

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director of Place, said: “We’re proud to announce our partnerships with 53 new places today. Where you live has a direct impact on how active you can be, which is why a ‘whole system’ approach to a place is the most comprehensive way to tackle inactivity.

“Each place is its own ecosystem, and we look at the local spaces (like parks, woodland, leisure centres, and community halls) that are available in that ecosystem. We then partner with local organisations to create opportunities for the community to get active.”

Andy Taylor, CEO of the Active Partnerships National Organisation, which connects, strengthens and enables the network of more than 40 Active Partnerships that are based in local communities across England, said: “This is the first phase of place expansion work into places across the country and we welcome this major investment from Sport England. As a network we are already working closely with local communities to ensure that this funding reaches those people that need the most support to be active.

“Our network is perfectly placed to be a key partner for this expansion, as we work with places on a daily basis to create the conditions so that everyone can be active, helping those people who need the most support. Each Active Partnership understands local people, local barriers, and local opportunities. They know how to make change happen, to open up better physical health, mental health, and quality of life.

“All of our Active Partnerships are already involved in place-based work, working closely with local communities, groups and local leaders, but the expansion of this work, through this investment from Sport England, will see those places with the greatest need receiving vital additional support.”

Examples of place-based projects include the Active Madrassahs in Pennine Lancashire that are enabling more than 5,000 Muslim children to lead a more active life through embedding physical activity into Madrassah learning sessions; using activities like football and walking to integrate refugees into the community in Calderdale; and using physical activity to rehabilitate patients in South Tees to improve their chances of recovery after surgery.

Today’s announcement (27 February 2025) of the specific places it will work with, follows on from Sport England’s 2023 announcement of the £250m total investment that it will use to support communities across England, providing those with the greatest need the support they require to be more active.

Sport England’s research has found that affluence and activity levels are closely linked; over a third of adults (34%) are inactive in England’s most deprived places, compared to 20% in the least deprived. Less than half of adults (49%) are active in the less affluent area of Barking and Dagenham while over three-quarters (79%) of adults are active in affluent Brighton and Hove.

Children from lower-income families have lower rates of activity than those from wealthier families; local authority data reveals that in Richmond on Thames, nearly two thirds of children and young people are active (62%) – but in Thurrock, an area of high social need, it’s just over a third (34%)

With less than half of children meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for daily physical activity and women, people from lower socio-economic groups and Black and Asian people still less likely to be active than other adults, inequalities in activity levels are a “ticking timebomb for the long-term health and wealth of the country”, according to Sport England Chair Chris Boardman.

Chris Boardman, Chair of Sport England, said: “Health inequalities have become embedded in our communities, with rising inactivity amongst children a particular worry. Inactive kids are more likely to be inactive adults and more at risk of develop chronic illness that costs the NHS and our economy; it’s a ticking time bomb for the long-term health and wealth of the country. We must address it urgently.

“Physical activity is rightly described by health experts as the “miracle cure”, it’s not only part of the solution for the physical, mental and social health problems facing our communities it’s also pivotal to getting the economy moving.”

Sport England, supported by Active Partnerships, has been testing this community-based approach since 2018, with data from 12 local delivery pilot areas demonstrating that its investments can make a positive contribution towards reducing inactivity.

This map on the Sport England website shows the first 53 Place Partnerships, along with the 12 existing Place Partnerships (previously known as the local delivery pilots). All 43 Active Partnerships will be involved in the place expansion work, as alongside a further 27 Place Partnerships that are expected to be announced later in the year, the Place Universal Offer, ensures that other areas across England will receive investment.