Our next chapter Strategy 2026 - 2030
With change on the horizon, we are more committed than ever to strengthening and re-investing in these relationships, forging new alliances and ensuring the power and value of sport and physical activity are not only understood, but championed across the county.
Active Gloucestershire has continued to support the growth and impact of we can move over the last four years, extending its reach and taking a leading role in addressing inequalities in sport and physical activity.
We are now entering the second half of our strategy period, so we deliberately paused to reflect on the progress made towards our strategic aims. In 2024, we commissioned an independent learning partner, Shephard & Moyes, to provide an objective review of our progress and to help us understand what is working well, where we need to adapt and what matters most next.
The review drew in depth on feedback from partners, funders and members of our networks and communities. Stakeholders consistently highlighted the value of Active Gloucestershire as a trusted system leader, connector and enabler, particularly our role in convening conversations, building relationships and keeping physical activity visible across health, local government and the voluntary and community sector. System-wide partnership working lies at the heart of our approach. It shapes our thinking, strengthens our impact and is pivotal in driving sustainable change across the sport and physical activity system.
While this system-level progress is not yet fully reflected in populationwide behaviour change, the latest adult Active Lives data shows activity levels at their highest since the survey began in 2015, suggesting the dial is beginning to shift. However, the benefits of physical activity are not shared equally, and the priorities identified when developing the strategy remain as important to the success of we can move now as they were in 2020.
Although we have recovered from much of the immediate impact of the pandemic and benefited from a period of relative stability, the cost of being active has risen significantly. This is affecting individuals, community organisations, leisure providers and sports clubs. The external environment in which we operate is also changing, particularly for partners such as Integrated Care Boards and councils, with potential implications for activity provision and funding. Despite these challenges, we remain positive, ambitious and committed to delivering the outcomes set out in this strategy.
As the landscape continues to shift, we are more committed than ever to strengthening and reinvesting in our partnerships, forging new alliances and ensuring the power and value of sport and physical activity are not only understood, but championed across the county. We continue to benefit from a strong and supportive relationship with Sport England and from being part of the national Active Partnerships Network, alongside growing recognition from government of the role physical activity plays in prevention and its wider social and economic contribution.
Over the next four years, we will need to remain agile, adaptable and flexible. We do so with a clearer understanding of what makes a difference, who we need to reach and how sport and physical activity can change lives for the better.
Emma Owen (Chair) & Kirsty Dunleavy-Harris (CEO)
Everyone in Gloucestershire living healthy and happy lives.
We’re part of an inclusive community that connects and inspires people in Gloucestershire to improve their lives through physical activity.
Active Gloucestershire is the backbone organisation for we can move. Our purpose is to support we can move to achieve its mission through collaboration, and by providing resources and practical support.
To achieve our vision, we have identified the following priorities. They focus on the areas we believe are the most important and where we feel we have the skills, funding and expertise to make a difference.
Inequalities mean some people still face more barriers to being active than others. We’re committed to working alongside under-represented groups, in the places and communities across our county that face some of the most stark inequalities to remove these barriers and create long-lasting, community-led and owned change.
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Supporting young people to develop active habits early in life helps set the foundation for lifelong wellbeing. When movement is fun, inclusive and built into daily life, it helps young people feel good now - and stay healthier and happier in the future.
Be ing active supports ageing well - helping people stay st r ong, connected and independent as they grow older. Whether it’s through everyday movement or new activities, staying active can improve quality of life and boost both physical and mental wellbeing.
Everyone deserves the chance to be active in ways that feel right for them. For disabled people and those living with health conditions, movement can be a powerful way to support wellbeing, connect with others and enjoy everyday life. By creating inclusive opportunities, we can help to remove barriers and open up more ways to move.
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Active environments, like well-designed parks, paths, facilities and routes, make it easier for people to move more in everyday life. By working with communities to create inclusive, accessible and environmentally friendly spaces, we can help more people be active in ways that work for them - wherever they live, work and play.
We know the world is changing - and not always in predictable ways. Economic uncertainty, political shifts and environmental pressures all affect how we work. That’s why we’ll stay agile, regularly reviewing our strategy so we can respond to challenges, adapt quickly and stay focused on what matters most.
At Active Gloucestershire, our role as the backbone organisation for we can move is to inspire, connect and enable action so that individuals, communities and organisations across Gloucestershire can support more people to be physically active every day.
We do this by championing positive stories and community action, building networks and partnerships that work better together, and providing the resources, learning and support needed to make change happen at every level.
Our work is rooted in a shared vision - that everyone in Gloucestershire has t he opportunity to live healthy, happy lives through physical activity and in o ur mission to grow a movement where being active is the norm.
Creating safe, inclusive spaces for connection and learning.
We inspire people and organisations to be active and support others to move more. By celebrating community action and showing activity’s impact, we help build a culture where being active is valued and visible.
- Unite people behind a shared vision that being active is for everyone.
- Run campaigns and share success stories that encourage individuals and partners to try new things and inspire others.
- Influence and advocate for change within policy and strategy that makes being active easier.
We connect partners and changemakers to work better together, strengthening cross - sector relationships and creating collaborations that deliver meaningful impact for everyone.
- Facilitate networks and partnerships where people share knowledge, solve challenges together and build common goals.
- Help people understand the system they’re working in and find the right connections to support change.
- Encourage alignment of activities and shared measures that help us learn better, together.
We en able activity by providing tools, resources and support. By developing skills, improving access to funding and sharing insight, we help build a confident, inclusive workforce that supports everyone.
- Deliver training, workshops and learning opportunities that build skills and inspire new approaches to getting people active.
- Provide data, insight and best practice so organisations can plan, evaluate and improve their work with confidence.
- Work with groups to identify funding opportunities and bring their ideas to life.
Supported by Active Gloucestershire, we can move is a whole systems approach to increasing physical activity.
We work in a complex environment so we’ll need to work at an individual, community and system level - and also to learn from what we do - to create the conditions for more people to be active. To do this we’ve developed our theory of change.
we can move is a Gloucestershire approach to increasing physical activity.
“all parts make a difference”
Driving change through:
1. Understanding how the organisations and people work at local and national levels.
2. Building relationships based on trust to support positive decision making.
3. Leadership and advocacy across organisations and sectors to develop shared goals.
“everything we do makes a difference”
Supporting people to make change to benefit from a more active life through:
1. Using theories of behaviour change like the COM-B model.
2. Focusing on the individual whilst recognising wider system inequalities that impact their behaviour.
3. Working with people’s strengths, ‘focusing on what is strong, not what is wrong’.
“all people make a difference”
Strengths, people and place based approach through:
1. Inspiring community activism to make positive changes.
2. Taking collective action.
3. Discovering and collaborating around shared values.
“ everything we discover makes a difference”
We embed learning through the work that we do by:
1. Building evaluation in from the beginning.
2. Adapting to extraordinary circumstances.
3. Being prepared to get it wrong and understand why.
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