With the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in full swing, we look back to the positive legacy of the last Games and how we’re backing this year’s event.
Coaching
Disability
Funding
Lower socio-economic groups
National governing bodies
Outdoors
Place-based working
Sustainability
Volunteering
Today, Leading the Movement turns one!
Over the past 12 months the programme has become a thriving community of people committed to tackling inequalities in sport and physical activity by supporting leaders at every level to take action and drive change.
Leading the Movement is built on a simple belief – that leadership isn’t defined by anyone’s job title or seniority, but by people stepping up, working together and creating opportunities to make a difference.
Funded by the National Lottery through to 2029, the programme brings together previous leadership training and includes coaching and mentoring, place-based support, events and webinars.
It's an evolving offer to help meet leaders wherever they are in their journey.
The past year has flown by, but it's also seen us achieve some important milestones and we want to recognise all the people, organisations and partners who've driven this forward.
Some key achievements include:
But the real impact goes beyond the numbers – it’s how leaders across the sector are starting to build confidence, expand their networks and develop the skills needed to tackle complex challenges.
The programme is built on a simple belief – that leadership isn’t defined by anyone’s job title or seniority, but by people stepping up, working together and creating opportunities to make a difference.
We know strong local leadership is critical to addressing inequalities and physical inactivity.
Through the Place-based Leadership component of Leading the Movement, we’re working to support leaders with the skills, confidence and system-level insight to drive change in their communities.
Facilitated by a range of expert practitioners, these in-person, two-day workshops bring together local leaders from across the public, voluntary and private sectors, creating space to step back, connect and think about ways to work differently across systems.
Some of the results we’re starting to see from these sessions include:
But just as important as these results is how this learning happens, because these aren’t just programmes where people sit and listen – they’re active and practical sessions designed to get people thinking, moving and engaging with each other.
Whether that’s through real-world scenarios, group problem-solving or time spent out in the place, the focus is on learning by doing.
That energy and openness creates space for honest conversations, new perspectives and stronger connections – all of which are key when tackling something as complex as physical inactivity.
A key principle of Leading the Movement is collaboration, with leaders helping to shape every part of the offer.
From co-designing and mentoring, to sharing stories and insights, this collective input is helping to create support that’s practical, relevant and grounded in the realities of the sector.
This is because, ultimately, Leading the Movement isn’t something we want to deliver to leaders – it’s something we create with them.
Over the next year of Leading the Movement, our focus is on continuing to support and grow leadership across the sector by:
If you’ve been part of Leading the Movement this year – thank you!
If not, there’s never been a better time to get involved and remember, whether you’re leading a team, a project, or simply bringing people together to make change happen, you’re a leader.
So if you’re interested, a great first step is exploring our offer, attending one of our webinars, joining the Leadership Community, or just dropping us a message to have a chat.
If you’re working to reduce inequalities in sport and physical activity, or supporting those who do, you’re already part of this movement, and we’d love to work with you as we grow and support the leaders driving change, now and for the future.
Our position statement highlights the vital role sport and physical activity can play in delivering local growth, prevention and wellbeing ambitions, as greater decision-making powers are transferred to communities.
Government
Local authorities
Place-based working
Tackling inactivity
Helping local leaders, strategic authorities and partners better understand the role sport and physical activity can play in delivering local growth, prevention and wellbeing ambitions.
Government
Local authorities
National governing bodies
Place-based working
If you’ve ever wondered whether a simple walk can really make a difference to someone’s life, the answer from our Somerset Health Walks community is a huge ‘yes’.
Over the past year, we’ve been gathering feedback from over 3,000 of our individual walkers and over 180 volunteers to better understand the impact that our Health Walks programme is having across Somerset.
But while the statistics are important, it’s the personal stories and comments that really bring everything to life – and honestly, they’ve been some incredibly moving tales to read.
One thing that shines through again and again is how welcoming and inclusive our walks feel.
People consistently describe the groups as friendly, supportive and completely non-judgemental – something we’re really proud of.
For many, joining a walking group can feel daunting at first.
Some are managing long-term health conditions, some haven’t exercised in years and others simply feel nervous about turning up alone.
But walkers told us they value the fact there’s “absolutely no pressure to participate”, that “nobody gets left behind” and that this culture of kindness matters as, for many walkers, these weekly meetings have become an important part of their life.
Why? Because these strolls aren’t just about steps or fitness levels – they’re about motivation, connection and about creating healthy habits that last.
Many walkers told us the groups help them feel part of a community, especially those who live alone or are new to an area and that sense of belonging is incredibly powerful.
This is because what starts as a walk often evolves into grabbing an after-walk coffee, with chats that make those encounters become friendships that then turn into support networks. People arrive as strangers and quickly become familiar faces to one another.
Of course, there are physical benefits too – and they’re significant.
Among walkers with long-term health conditions, many reported improvements in overall fitness, mood, mobility and wellbeing after taking part regularly.
We also saw encouraging signs that people are becoming more active overall, including doing more balance and strength activities.
But again, it’s the way people describe those changes that really matters.
They say things like: "The whole experience makes me feel healthier and happier", "[walking] keeps us fit, mentally and physically!" or "I feel so much happier when I have been on my health walk."
These comments perfectly sum up why programmes like this are so important.
These strolls aren’t just about steps or fitness levels – they’re about motivation, connection and about creating healthy habits that last.
Another lovely theme that emerged was people reconnecting with their local area.
Walkers told us they’d discovered footpaths, countryside routes and places they never knew existed.
Others spoke about the joy of being outdoors in all seasons – being out in fresh air, nature, muddy boots and all – plus the recent study by Current Psychology confirms that walking in natural environments significantly improves mental wellbeing.
As always, we’ve also listened carefully to suggestions and feedback, and over the past year we’ve introduced more walks in different locations, added clearer meeting point information and improved details on our website to make walks easier to access.
Walking is a favourite activity for many people and why wouldn’t it be here in our beautiful county?
It’s important to us that Somerset Health Walks continues to grow and evolve with the needs of our community. That’s what working in Place is all about.
The investment from Sport England is important, but working in this way has only been made possible by our incredible volunteers and walk leaders.
The warmth, professionalism and care they bring every single week is what makes these walks so special.
And, of course, the walkers themselves. They are what make this community what it is and why we carry on working together in this way. See you on the next walk!
For too long, efforts to get people active followed a familiar pattern – launch a campaign, start a programme, open a facility and hope people turn up.
When engagement was low, especially in communities facing deprivation, ill health or isolation, the blame often fell on individuals.
But the real issue runs deeper.
Today’s Active Lives Adult Survey data shows overall activity levels are improving, yet inequalities remain – and in some cases are widening – highlighting the limits of this approach.
Through our place-based work, we are flipping that script.
Our approach isn’t about parachuting in with short-term initiatives. It’s about changing local systems and putting power, funding and decision-making into the hands of communities themselves.
It’s about reshaping the conditions that make movement possible.
This is a structural shift – from national delivery to locally-led systems; from fragmented interventions to collaboration; and from doing things to communities to working with them.
Crucially, this way of working is starting to show signs of impact, particularly for adults who have historically been least active.
At its core, place-based working recognises a simple truth: where you live shapes how active you are.
Access to safe green space, transport, income, health, and social networks all matter. So instead of generic national solutions, we are investing up to £250 million into over 90 communities with the greatest need.
But funding is only part of it. The real change is in how decisions are made.
With our support, councils, NHS bodies, charities, community groups and residents are working together (over years, not funding cycles) to design local solutions.
Power is moving closer to communities.
Below are examples of how that power is moving and the impact it's having.
Birmingham's Leisure Transformation Programme shows what happens when physical activity is treated as essential infrastructure rather than optional provision.
Read more about Birmingham: leisure as local infrastructureWith investment from us, leisure centres in areas such as Erdington, Ladywood, Northfield and Stechford have been transformed into modern, accessible community assets.
At Stechford Leisure Centre alone, there were more than a quarter of a million visits in the past year, up 7.4 percent. Engagement is strong among women and residents in lower-income groups – communities often least likely to be reached by traditional sport programmes.
The impact goes beyond activity. The site generated £1.6 million in social value in a single year, reflecting the wider benefits in wellbeing, connection and community resilience.
Read less about Birmingham: leisure as local infrastructureIn Cornwall, Active Cornwall has taken a different approach and looked to remove the barriers between exercise and daily life.
Through Beat the Street, delivered as part of their Let’s Go campaign, whole communities are being turned into active play spaces. Walking and cycling are becoming part of a shared game, rather than a formal intervention.
Read more about Cornwall: making movement part of everyday lifeIn under a month, over 3,200 adults have taken part, 40 percent of whom were previously inactive. The lesson is clear – design activity around real routines and engagement follows.
Read less about Cornwall: making movement part of everyday lifeOur work in local places is also changing who gets to be active.
In East Yorkshire, our investment has helped significantly improve participation among disabled adults.
The proportion who are fairly active has risen from 10% to 28%.
Read more about East Yorkshire: inclusion as a system outcomeThis shift was not achieved through a single programme. It came from redesigning opportunities to be active, improving accessibility, building confidence, and working through trusted local organisations.
Read less about East Yorkshire: inclusion as a system outcomeDoncaster shows system change most clearly.
Through Get Doncaster Moving, we’ve worked since 2018 to align transport, health, community and culture around physical activity.
Read more about Doncaster: when systems align, behaviour shiftsThe result is measurable – over 12,600 more adults are active compared to 2015, a rise of around 5% in Doncaster’s adult population.
This came from sustained coordination between organisations, shared priorities and a long-term commitment to working as one system rather than many services.
Read less about Doncaster: when systems align, behaviour shiftsIn Blackpool, our partnership with Move Together Blackpool shows how collaboration changes outcomes.
Over 150 leaders from health, education, housing and the voluntary sector now operate within a shared framework. A cultural shift is happening – we are seeing physical activity becoming a shared responsibility across the system.
In Oxfordshire, the approach is deliberately targeted.
Active Oxfordshire is focusing its efforts on 10 priority neighbourhoods, many in the most deprived 20 per cent nationally. Partners use Active Neighbourhood Scans to understand barriers such as safety, accessibility and cultural perceptions.
Read more about Oxfordshire: designing with communitiesLocal groups are then supported to design solutions that include walking programmes, community activity, and informal movement opportunities tailored to real needs.
This is place-based working using small-scale insight to drive meaningful impact.
Read less about Oxfordshire: designing with communitiesAcross all place-based work, our impact is increasingly visible at scale.
In 10 of our original 12 Place Pilots, physical activity is now embedded into health and care pathways – meaning movement is supported through GPs, social prescribing and community health teams.
In Doncaster, this approach has mobilised 757 organisations and 1,500 local leaders to create a coordinated local system where physical activity is no longer a standalone service but part of how the whole area works.
In places like Essex, our investment has helped them unlock around £65 million in additional funding – turning relatively small seed funding into large-scale investment that reaches far more people and creates longer-lasting change.
Leadership capacity is also expanding. Over the last two years around 1,000 local leaders have been trained through our Leading the Movement programme, strengthening the ability of places to sustain change beyond our initial funding.
This is not just a collection of local success stories. It is a different operating model. It's a quiet revolution – one that is reshaping how communities think about movement, health and wellbeing from the ground up.
Because lasting change doesn’t come from programmes, it comes from places.
We’re investing £25 million in our Place Universal Offer until 2028, working with 30 Active Partnerships and other local organisations to drive community-led change.
Local authorities
Place-based working
Uniting the Movement
Oxfordshire is one of ten early testers for Place Universal Offer (PUO) funding in England and we’ve used this support to turbo-charge our community-driven work to tackle systemic inequalities and to get more people moving.
With Oxfordshire becoming a Marmot Place, proportionate universalism is writ large in our work as a system.
PUO investment gives us a practical opportunity to provide a universal offer of leadership training, supporting work in culturally-competent ways, upscaling what works and sharing learning; all whilst, simultaneously, focusing more intensely on where needs are greatest and inequalities are most stark.
Our belief is that the closer we are to the challenges, the nearer we are to finding their solutions too.
PUO work is more than simply starting from scratch or creating new projects or programmes.
Instead, it’s about identifying community leaders in priority areas who already understand their barriers and have trust within their own communities.
PUO is also about working with and through them to create the biggest impact, and it’s about listening far more than talking and being ready to learn and shift the way that we work to optimise processes and results.
That’s why we have made a deliberate choice to work with a small number of Community Anchor Organisations in our priority neighbourhoods, including Oxford Community Action.
By working in this way, we can put lived experiences at the front and centre in the creation of solutions.
Whilst it is early days for our PUO journey, we are seeing some positive early signs that reinforce how it’s possible to enable both short-term action and long-term systemic shifts.
PUO is about identifying community leaders in priority areas who already understand their barriers and have trust within their own communities.
Communities can’t wait years for change, and they shouldn’t have to, but PUO funding has enabled us to start creating the environments needed for long-term change to empower action now.
The conditions defining these new environments are:
So how has all this work helped us grow?
These are the key learnings that we’d like to share in case they can help others too:
We are six months into our three-year PUO journey and are really excited by early learnings and future potential.
This is a system-wide effort, with organisations like Oxford Community Action at the heart of change and, together, we are working to create healthier futures for the residents of Oxfordshire.
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