Strategic Priority
Active Environments
Working towards the strategic priority of Active Environments, Active Essex have been strengthening relationships across the sector and beyond to develop and provide well connected, accessible places and spaces that encourage residents to be active.
Active Essex have been working hard through various funding pots and relationships with stakeholders across the county to maximise outdoor opportunities for residents to engage with activities in Essex’s wealth of green and blue spaces. Expanding delivery of interventions that encourage the use of active travel, has been a key focus for the Active Environments strategic priority team, with particular focus on gamification and system collaboration with Essex County Council teams.
As part of Active Essex’s cross team collaboration, this year has seen Ford RideLondon-Essex confirmed for the next 3 years, working with external partners to amplify Essex and showcase the benefits of holding mass participation events. Similarly, strengthened relationships with other Essex County Council colleagues has helped the team to shape existing and future developments by embedding physical activity and sport into planning policy, infrastructure and urban design.
Active outdoors
Active Essex have continued to work collaboratively with the Port of London Authority, ParkPlay and parkrun to promote free/low-cost activities using green and blue space, which are accessible, attractive and socially inclusive. As part of the active outdoors focus, this year saw the delivery of 5 Find Your Active festivals to highlight the use of local green spaces and local opportunities for residents. The Find Your Active Basildon festival engaged 300 people in its second year and the event was supported by 15 local organisations.
The 2023 Active Thames funding, in partnership with Port of London Authority awarded £150,000 in grants to 23 projects across London, Kent and Essex. Active Thames received 14 applications from Essex organisations, and in 2023, 5 of these applications were supported. Active Essex contributed £10,000 to the pot this year, therefore the ROI = every £1 spent gained a further £2.60 investment into Essex projects. Continued relationships have also been maintained with 4 Active Thames funding recipients from the previous year.
Take a look at our case studies
The Active Thames Partnership
Providing funding for groups and organisations who wish to activate the waterways in Essex.
Activating on and near the waterways
Read all about how the Active Thames funding supporting Southend to amplify their offer.
Opportunities for over 50's
Bringing communities together to get active in Essex's blue spaces.
Another successful partnership with ParkPlay was continued this past year, with new locations being launched up and down the county. After a target of 18 venues which were aspired to be achieved by the end of the financial year, this is well on track.
Additional funding was provided to support this strategic priority this year through the Find Your Active Places and Spaces fund, thanks to London Marathon Foundation, following Ford RideLondon-Essex 2023.
The funding pot offered the opportunity to support organisations who wished to improve facilities and assets to make spaces fit for purpose, encouraging priority audiences to access more physical activity opportunities. Receiving 36 applications requesting over £250,000, 13 of these projects were successful receiving £102,000, but leveraging in a further £229,473 towards their delivery.
Places and Spaces funding case studies
Active travel
By expanding interventions such as Beat the Street, Street Tag and Go Jauntly, Active Essex have been encouraging more active journeys. Most recently, a successful Public Health Accelerator Bid has resulted in confirmation of a Beat the Street programme beginning in Mid Essex in late spring.
Ensuring active travel is
accessible and open to all, Essex has expanded their inclusive cycling offer by
continuing their work with Wheels4All, and launching a Sport for Confidence
Inclusive Cycling hub in Basildon, with SHARE respite also receiving funding to
set up an inclusive offer. In total these projects have supported over 120
residents living with a disability to take up cycling.
Active Travel is one of the
main objectives set out in the Essex Pedal Power programme which has expanded
significantly in the past year. The free bike initiative is now taking place in Canvey Island, Colchester, Basildon, Harwich and Dovercourt, as well as the initial pilot in
Clacton and Jaywick.
Take a look at specific Active Travel case studies
Essex Pedal Power initiative
The free bike scheme has become embedded across Essex, increasing active travel.
Summer of Cycling
Essex cycle Grant funding provided a series of events along the sunshine coast.
Gamification Projects
Using technology to encourage residents to increase their physical activity levels.
Further system collaboration with Essex County Council Sustainable Travel team, Green Infrastructure, Place Services and local planning teams has helped to position physical activity across further agendas, and continued to strengthen Active Essex’s involvement in the Essex Cycle Grant.
Consequently, this has also contributed to an allocation of the grant budget being used towards Ford RideLondon-Essex 2024 activation within communities.
Mass Participation Events
Working in collaboration with local authorities, Essex County Council and London Marathon Events, held another successful Ford RideLondon-Essex event.
Helping leverage funding and
economic growth into the county from the event and subsequently London Marathon
Foundation, it was agreed that the 3-day event would return for the next 3
years.
Contributing to Essex County Council’s Net Zero targets, promoting active travel for short journeys and encouraging sustainable travel habits, has been the foundation of working on this project. Through the activation zones over the ride weekend, Active Essex offered funding to organisations, clubs and schools as a result.
Work has also begun on the 2024 Ford RideLondon-Essex event, with parish engagement events taken place, the Essex Association of Local Councils are now on board for another year. Currently, community rides are being developed and school engagement plans have been drawn up.
Read our Ford RideLondon-Essex case study here
Ford RideLondon-Essex 2023
The event, the benefits and what has followed since May 2023.
Planning and infrastructure
Embedding physical activity into planning policy, infrastructure and urban design has been at the forefront of working with planning and design colleagues to champion and advocate the implementation of the Essex Design Guide, and increasing sign ups to the Essex Livewell Accreditation scheme.
Earlier this year, Sport England launched their Active Design 3 Guidance. Active Essex were keen to highlight the usefulness of this guidance document to a wide range of partners, both traditional ones like local authority planners and urban designers, but also active and sustainable travel teams and health colleagues. In Autumn 2023, Active Essex worked with Sport England and Active Environment Officers in Colchester City Council and Basildon Borough Council to deliver a webinar to 58 partners, showcasing some of the ways Active Design 3 is already having a positive influence on active environments across the county.
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) have been enhanced with Sustainable Travel colleagues with a strong desire to complete a LCWIP in each of the 12 Essex authorities by the end of the Fit for the Future life cycle. In addition, Active Essex have taken on an avid role in local authority Place Pitch Strategy meetings, and ensured the sectors strategy links with local development plans to guide future investment decisions.
