Place Partnerships Work

Amongst the initial 53 areas announced for Place funding were King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, and Great Yarmouth. Both of these areas were identified as being in the top 10% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level. These partnerships have seen us collaborating with local stakeholders and partners to target inequalities in those areas.

In November, Sport England announced a major expansion of its work, and added a further 27 places to the Place Partnership expansion. amongst these was Breckland, which was identified as being in the top 20% for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequalities at a national level.

We have already begun working with Breckland Council and local organisations to identify the priorities for Breckland and are excited to begin work in tackling inequality across the district.

Place Universal Offer

This year Sport England will launch the Place Universal Offer across England. This aims to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be physically active.

While certain areas have been prioritised for greater support and investment based on need, this initiative aims to extend support universally.

Active Norfolk led a two-part development award application to Sport England, co-produced with local partners. The first phase funded a project coordinator and an insight and evaluation officer. 

Additional funding, secured in October 2024, will help us understand local priorities by reviewing data. We will be consulting stakeholders, exploring assets, and engaging with communities to identify knowledge gaps.

We will then deliver and evaluate initiatives to inform our 2025 full award submission. 

We know that the investment needs to target areas where there are barriers to participation, be it financial, accessibility, or lack of facilities, especially for underrepresented groups.