Across Greater Essex, the Place Partnerships programme is transforming the environments, opportunities and experiences available to children and young people. By investing in community assets, listening to youth voice, and working closely with local partners, the programme is helping young people develop the confidence, competence and positive attitudes they need to build active, healthy lives.
This work directly supports Active Essex’s outcome of ensuring children and young people develop the capability, enjoyment and understanding of movement to carry active habits into adulthood. With 51.7% of children and young people currently active across Greater Essex, Place Partnerships are focusing on the areas where the biggest differences can be made.
Aligned with Sport England’s ‘Positive Experiences for Children and Young People’ outcome, activities are being tailored to meet the needs of local communities, ensuring children have fun, feel included and help shape the environments around them. Across Basildon, Castle Point, Colchester, Harlow, Tendring and Thurrock, this approach is already creating meaningful change.
Basildon: Strengthening School Sport and Community Connections
From Flex Youth to ParkPlay and targeted youth crime prevention projects, Basildon’s Local Delivery Pilot set strong foundations for community provision. Place Partnerships are now deepening this work to ensure local organisations can continue to offer free or low-cost physical activity in places where young people feel safe.
While community-based engagement has been strong, schools have lacked the capacity and coordinated support needed to embed high‑quality PE, daily movement and physical literacy. In response, Place Partnerships are supporting the roll‑out of a Creating Active Schools model. Strengthening workforce development, leadership training, providing support for young leaders, and improving alignment between education, community provision and health, will ensure that Basildon schools are better equipped to embed physical activity into everyday school life and provide children with more enjoyable, inclusive and meaningful opportunities to be active. These efforts also build on learning from the highly successful Castle Point & Rochford School Sport Partnership, helping Basildon schools access new opportunities, shared expertise and best practice.
Castle Point: Building Confidence, Connection and Active Travel
Castle Point has the second‑highest inactivity levels for children and young people in the county, with 35.5% being less active compared with 30% nationally. This makes it even more important to ensure that children and young people have accessible, appealing opportunities to be active in the borough.
King George V Playing Fields on Canvey Island has become a local success story, recently recognised as Essex County Park Venue of the Year 2025/26 in the Lawn Tennis Association Awards. Once derelict, the site has been transformed into a thriving community hub following the restoration of its tennis courts in 2024, now offering weekly free park tennis sessions that welcome children, families and new players. The next phase of development will focus on building a local coaching workforce to sustain long‑term community involvement.
Essex Pedal Power is also gaining strong momentum on Canvey Island, with schools reporting high enthusiasm and child‑friendly questionnaires helping to track improvements in independence, wellbeing and daily travel. Strengthened relationships with schools and increased local communications are supporting the programme’s continued expansion. So far, the programme has:
- Distributed 42 bikes to Years 6-7, with 55 more identified
- Delivered 41 scooters to pupils in Years 3-4
- Identified 46 Reception children awaiting bikes this spring
- Introduced a new family-bike offer to support whole‑family active travel
Harlow: Supporting Families and Improving Health Outcomes
With 32.6% of Year 6 children in Harlow overweight, supporting families to move more, eat well and enjoy free and affordable activity is a major priority. The Place Partnership focuses strongly on children, young people and families, shaped by youth voice and local insight. With a higher than national average young population and a growing number of households with dependent children, the work aims to make healthy choices easy and accessible.
Glebelands and Potters Field have been identified as the first playgrounds to undergo major upgrades as part of Harlow’s neighbourhood renewal programme, each gaining dozens of inclusive play features shaped by resident feedback. Later this year, Harlow Town Park Skate Park will undergo its biggest transformation in 18 years, including full resurfacing, potential expansion, and exploration of improved lighting and CCTV. These enhanced spaces give young people safe, inspiring environments to build skills, confidence and friendships.
Tendring & Colchester: Embedding Physical Activity into Wellbeing Support
Tendring and Colchester partners are integrating physical activity into 62 Children and Young People Wellbeing Hubs, expanding on a successful prevention and early-intervention mental health model. The hubs deliver structured ‘I Am Me’ sessions for children showing early signs of mental health challenges, with evaluation showing increased resilience, improved happiness, reduced anxiety and a 76% reduction in referrals to external services.
Place Partnership funding will train hub leaders to embed physical activity into sessions, ensuring young people develop physical literacy alongside emotional coping skills. Additionally, around 60 local trusted organisations (many facing financial pressures) supporting CYP investment will strengthen capacity through business development, workforce support and training in youth crime prevention using sport.
Thurrock: Amplifying Youth Voice and Creating a Flagship Youth Zone
Children and young people are a high priority for the Thurrock Place Partnership, with youth voice shaping the issues that matter most. This focus is especially important as Thurrock has the highest inactivity levels for children and young people in the county, with 35.7% being less active compared to 30% nationally. A major milestone for the partnership has been the confirmation of Essex’s first OnSide Youth Zone, opening in Tilbury in 2027. Located near public transport and open seven days a week, the Youth Zone will feature a four‑court sports hall, indoor climbing wall, martial arts spaces, a fitness suite and a multi‑use games area. With dedicated youth workers and sport at its core, it will offer a safe, inspiring place for young people to enjoy positive experiences and build supportive relationships.
A Shared Commitment to a More Active Generation
Jason Fergus, Head of Active Essex commented; “Across all Place Partnership areas, one theme is clear: young people are shaping the solutions, and local partners are working together to make physical activity enjoyable, accessible and meaningful. By investing in community spaces, active travel, youth leadership, family support and trusted local organisations, the programme is laying the foundations for healthier futures, helping more children and young people in Essex grow up active, confident and ready to thrive.”
To find out more about how we are supporting children and young people to be active, not only in the six Place Partnership areas, but across Greater Essex, visit: https://www.activeesseximpact.org/children-and-young-people
