In November 2023, as part of the Uniting the Movement strategy, Sport England announced a £250 million investment of National Lottery and Exchequer funding into areas of the country with the greatest need, to tackle inactivity.  

Sport England recognise:  

• Where you live and your individual circumstances has a fundamental influence on your activity levels  

• Across England, access to physical activity opportunities is not a level playing field  

• Certain places and communities have increased barriers to being more physically active  

• Years of underinvestment in local infrastructure and services mean that spaces and places to be active are fewer in more deprived areas  

Since the announcement, nationally Sport England have: 

• Used learning from their 10 Place Partnerships (formerly, Local Delivery Pilots) to create a framework for the national roll out of Place Expansion work 

• Identified 53 new Places in Phase 1 across 27 Active Partnerships  

• Invested £20 Million so far to help develop each Place’s individual approach  

• Made plans to expand the current list of 53 places to 80 as part of phase 2  

• Begun investing £35 million into the original Place Partnerships  

The Local Authority area of Southampton and the Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) of Landport in Portsmouth were identified for phase one investment.  

A place based approach is deeply embedded in the community. Lots of local organisations and key community members are already working together to empower local residents and help create the outcomes they want to see in their area. 

These ‘System Leaders’ have been identified, as they all work to support better life outcomes for residents in their place. These leaders have a professional understanding of each place and will work alongside their community to share their voices and co-design behaviour changing support for fellow residents.

Take a look at the work so far in Southampton, and in Landport and Buckland to find out more.  

If you’d like further information or would like to get involved in this work as a organisation or resident in these areas, Get in touch with:  Lee.timothy@energiseme.org