Active Lancashire has unveiled a refreshed version of its Decade of Movement strategy, reinforcing its commitment to creating a fairer, healthier and more active Lancashire whilst aligning more closely with Sport England’s national Uniting the Movement strategy.
Originally launched in 2021 as a shared 10-year vision to embed movement into everyday life, the refreshed strategy builds on what has been learned through place-based delivery, partnership working and lived experience across Lancashire. It aims to sharpen the organisation’s focus on tackling inequalities to empower local communities and ensure lasting change.
The refresh reflects the same core ambition as Sport England’s Uniting the Movement: to put people and place first, reduce the stark inequalities in access to physical activity and work collaboratively across sectors to create the conditions for active lives.
Active Lancashire’s updated approach recognises that movement is not a luxury, but an essential part of thriving communities, a resilient health system and a stronger local economy. With over a quarter of adults in Lancashire currently inactive and deep health inequalities between places, the strategy reaffirms physical activity as one of the most powerful tools available to improve wellbeing and life chances.
At the heart of the refreshed strategy is a renewed commitment to:
- People first – designing activity around real lives, cultures and needs
- Place-based working – supporting local partnerships to lead solutions that work for their communities
- System change – embedding movement into health, education, planning and employment
- Equity and inclusion – prioritising communities with the greatest barriers to being active
The strategy is underpinned by Active Lancashire’s new Theory of Change – a flexible framework providing practical tools, leadership development, shared learning and support to partners at every stage of their journey. This mirrors Sport England’s emphasis on collaboration, local ownership and scaling what works.
Another new addition to the strategy is the inclusion of Environment within Active Lancashire’s core values and strategic priorities. Building on learning from environmental sustainability projects delivered over the past five years, Active Lancashire recognises that access to healthy, sustainable environments is fundamental to enabling active lives. By embedding environmental considerations into decision-making, the organisation aims to create places that not only encourage movement, but also improve wellbeing, reduce health inequalities and support a more resilient future for Lancashire’s communities.
Adrian Leather, CEO of Active Lancashire, said: “Refreshing our Decade of Movement strategy is about sharpening our focus on what really matters – putting people and place first and tackling the deep inequalities that still prevent too many people in Lancashire from being active. By aligning ourselves more closely with the ambitions of Sport England’s Uniting the Movement, and by embedding movement across health, education, active spaces and our environment, we’re uniting local action with national direction. This strategy is a clear commitment to working together so that movement becomes part of everyday life, helping communities across Lancashire to live well and thrive, now and for the next decade.”
Through the refreshed strategy, Active Lancashire will continue to work alongside local authorities, health partners, voluntary organisations, community leaders and residents to embed movement where it matters most – in everyday routines, services and spaces.
The Decade of Movement refresh signals a clear intention: to unite local energy with national ambition, and to ensure that over the next ten years, more people across Lancashire can move more, live well and thrive – whatever their background or circumstances.
To find out more about Active Lancashire’s projects, visit www.activelancashire.org.uk or email news@activelancashire.org.uk
