A Foreword by Jason Fergus
Impact Report 2025-26
This year, we have seen significant change across Greater Essex, shaped by local government reorganisation, emerging devolution conversations and continued transformation across the NHS. Against a backdrop of rising pressures on the healthcare and wider public services, the role of physical activity and sport has never been more paramount. We know that not only does it support preventative health, but it also contributes to the county’s social and economic wellbeing.
We refreshed and sharpened our approach this year, by adopting an outcomes-based methodology, embedding a clear framework that measures both population level changes and performance against our priorities.
Our progress this year reflects steady headway across our four short-term outcomes as articulated below. I would encourage you to explore the more detailed account of the learnings, challenges and successes accumulated across each of our outcome workstreams by clicking on the case studies linked below.
Connected Places Outcome
69.2% of adults now agree that the places they are active feel inclusive and welcoming. This is up from 66.9% in 2023-24.
Diverse Workforce Outcome
49,562 individuals make up the sport and physical activity sector contributing to diverse workforces and organisations.
Children & Young People Outcome
51.7% of Greater Essex children are active for 60+ minutes a day, improving on last years data of 51.5%.
A Preventative Approach Outcome
24.1% of adults in Greater Essex are inactive, previously 26.5% in 2022-23 Active Lives data, which is a positive trajectory.
We have found it is vital to build and review our universal offer to ensure our place-based approach continues to grow in depth and maturity across the whole of the county. Our hub team structure allows us to work closely with communities, co-designing initiatives that strengthen resilience, build social connection and help residents overcome the barriers that prevent them from leading active lives.
Through proportionate universalism and as a Sport England Place Partners, we’re providing intensified support in Basildon, Castle Point, Colchester, Harlow, Tendring and Thurrock, building on the foundations created by the Essex Local Delivery Pilot. This investment is enabling us to tackled entrenched inequalities that exist in these communities, by strengthening partnerships, attracting additional resources and shaping the conditions needed for active, thriving communities.
Over the past few years, we have collated and worked on understanding the conditions we must create to build active and healthy communities, and believe the conditions consist of:
- Data-driven decisions
- Enhanced capacity
- System influence
- Tackling inequalities
- Strong leadership
- Community voice
- A shared vision
These principles continue to guide how we collaborate, invest and measure our contribution to the systems Sport and Physical Activity strategy, Fit for the Future.
Throughout this Impact Report micro-site, you will find stories, insights and evidence that showcase the progress we’ve made with partners across the county over the past year. Together, they illustrate the strategic role physical activity and sport play in delivering measurable impact across multiple systems. Not only impacting residents, neighbourhoods and communities of Greater Essex, but also setting out the future we collectively aspire to build.
