Find Your Active and Kinder Essex Collaboration
Empowering communities through trusted organisations
Find Your Active Place Navigator for West Essex and Kinder Essex Coach for Uttlesford have built a strong partnership grounded in system-wide awareness and local action, reshaping how knowledge is shared at a hyper local level.
The Kinder Essex Coaches focus on mobilising communities to reduce isolation and improve wellbeing. Linking closely with the objectives of a Place Navigator to support residents to find the activity that’s right for them, together they have supported the delivery of place-based workshops to raise awareness of available local support.
Their collaboration continues to grow beyond sharing information and insights, now also helping to develop provision in areas that aren’t currently catered for and supporting groups who have barriers currently preventing them from accessing what’s on offer.
Testament to this work has been the impact this partnership has had on the number of Find Your Active small grant applications received from across the district. In 2023-24 and 2024-25 Uttlesford submitted 8 and 9 applications retrospectively, whilst 2025-26 saw 17 applications submitted from local organisations wishing to grow and develop their offer to the community.
As a result, this demonstrates a significant upward trend with applications more than doubling between 2023-2026, reflecting the positive impact of the partnerships intervention efforts.
Our involvement has amplified the impact of Mirka and Christine’s work by ensuring that the right information and resources flow through trusted individuals at neighbourhood level. This approach has strengthened community organisations, helping them become more sustainable and expanding their much-loved provision.Danielle Warnes, Active Essex Relationship Manager for West Essex.
Key learnings
It's important to take time to reflect and understand the learnings from work undertaken, to focus on ways to improve in the future.
Being data and insight led
Refining districts approach through sharing local knowledge across partners has been vital.
Working in partnership
Local individuals are essential to drive action and support application submissions.
Identifying training and support
Gaps in expertise on applications and funding has been highlighted and will be addressed.
Awareness of opportunities
New organisations, resources and opportunities have been highlighted throughout the process.
Network of local organisations
Strengthened the network, expanding knowledge and building deeper connections locally.
Building on the gathering of hyper local knowledge, it became clear that a key learning was the gaps in knowledge around training and support available. Active Essex, the Find Your Active Navigator and Kinder Coaches have agreed that this will become a primary focus going forward.
It became clear, that many organisations and individuals do not have the specialist knowledge or confidence needed to successfully complete funding application processes. Therefore, by strengthening guidance, building skills and offering more hands-on support, Active Essex and partners hope that this transition can help broaden access to funding and ensure more groups are able to take advantage of the opportunities available.
