Creating sustainable opportunities for people to be active requires more than delivering programmes. It requires understanding the unique strengths, challenges and aspirations of the places where people live. At Active Essex, our place-based approach focuses on working alongside communities and partners to build on existing assets, strengthen local connections and support long-term change that is locally led. By investing in relationships and listening to communities, we can create the conditions for residents to shape opportunities that work for them and their place.
Our work in Southend has provided a strong foundation for how we approach place-based development across Essex. Through the Active Southend-on-Thames programme, we brought partners together around a shared ambition to increase physical activity using the city’s natural blue spaces, and tackling inequalities that have historically limited access for some communities.
This began by creating the conditions for collaboration through convening local partners, listening to communities and identifying what was already happening across Southend’s coastline. By embedding an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach, we focused on building from existing strengths, supporting local organisations and enabling a more inclusive, community-led offer to emerge. This approach helped unlock investment, grow capacity and ultimately transition the programme into sustainable local leadership.
The impact of this collaborative approach was significant. Through Active Southend-on-Thames, 1,943 participants engaged in 125 sessions, including 181 people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Alongside activity delivery, 706 residents received water safety advice and 40 individuals from voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations were upskilled. These outcomes not only increased participation and confidence in using Southend’s blue spaces, but also strengthened local capacity and created a lasting legacy beyond the programme itself.
Building on the learning from Southend, we have been able to replicate and scale the approach through Active Canvey-on-Thames. Working closely with local organisations, residents and delivery partners, the programme has been designed to celebrate and maximise Canvey Island’s unique coastal assets, creating new opportunities for people to be active, connect with nature and improve their wellbeing.
Throughout summer 2026, residents will be able to access a diverse programme of activities at Thorney Bay, including family beach exploration, guided seafront walks, youth beach sessions, beach yoga, Pilates, martial arts, family beach days and supported open water swimming. Alongside these activities, the programme will provide water safety education, volunteer and coach development opportunities, and support for local organisations to help build long-term community capacity.
Rather than starting from scratch, we have applied the same principles that supported success in Southend; working alongside residents and partners, using local insight to shape activity, and supporting ideas driven by the community itself. This has enabled us to move more quickly, connect partners effectively and build trust early, while still responding to the unique needs, character and identity of Canvey Island as a place.
A key learning from this journey is that while every community is different, the fundamentals of successful place-based working remain the same: start with what is strong, invest in relationships and create the space for local leadership to grow. By doing this, we are helping to develop sustainable opportunities for people to be active, shaped by communities themselves and rooted in the places they call home.
The progress made in Southend and Canvey Island highlights what can be achieved when communities, organisations and local leaders work together towards a shared goal. By building strong partnerships and placing local voices at the heart of decision-making, we are creating environments where physical activity can thrive. As we look ahead, these lessons will continue to inform how we support places across Essex to develop their own sustainable and inclusive approaches to getting active.
