Castle Point Place Partnership

Sport England announced Place Partnerships on Canvey Island in November 2023 at Waterside Leisure Centre, as this provided an excellent example of the type of area where this significant investment can make a difference, and brought to life the narrative of how we will build upon the learnings from Essex’s place relationship work, supporting communities with deepened inequalities.

This Place Partnership opportunity provides an extra dimension to all of the positive energy and plans for Castle Point and Canvey Island, with a clear line of sight to using physical activity to increase the health and wellbeing of families and communities.

The proportionate element of the Place Partnership work in Castle Point will focus on areas of greatest need, particularly in increasing levels of physical activity and building the capacity of voluntary and community organisations in the most inactive and deprived areas. The presence of 18 locally trusted organisations identified by Active Essex, will also provide a strong foundation for expanding Place Partnerships and promoting community wellbeing through inclusive activities.

There is already a provision of leisure facilities across Castle Point, as well as a wide range of green and blue spaces for residents to utilise, such as King George V Pavilion and playing fields, Waterside Farm Skate Park and Canvey Seafront. In addition, the health sector in Castle Point is well aligned to the vision and outcomes for Place Partnerships.

The development phase of Place Partnerships, which took place between 30^th May and still continuing, provided investment and capacity to help develop a clear vision and common purpose for the Castle Point Place Partnership. It established strong governance and system leadership, supported by valuable insights into barriers, needs and aspirations of inactive communities. Careful evaluation of test and learn projects has informed future investment decisions, and ongoing insight activities will support long-term evaluation of the impact on Sport England’s outcomes.

With a shared purpose of ‘enabling communities in Castle Point to achieve better physical and mental health outcomes, through physical activity’, the Place Partnership expansion opportunity in Castle Point has real potential to achieve positive outcomes for health, families, communities, and the local economy.