What does the Active Communities & Health team do?

• Active Community Development: The Team is involved in developing infrastructure, through partnership working, to enable local people to become involved in physical activity, sport and recreation as a vehicle for health improvement, social inclusion and community development. This is principally undertaken through the Council’s membership of Active South Derbyshire and Active Derbyshire. This area of work also supports capital projects to ensure that site development plans will achieve funder’s outcomes, along with maximising opportunities of new and existing facilities to improve and deliver physical health and wellbeing opportunities.

• Play Development and Provision: The Team delivers a range of outreach provision for young people in the District throughout the year.  This is made possible by working in partnership with Parish Councils and key partners such as South Derbyshire Community Safety Partnership to provide a comprehensive offer, particularly over the school summer holidays.

• Public Health Development and Improvement: The Team leads on health promotion and improvement to improve the overall health and wellbeing of our residents. It also delivers a range of Public Health contracts including “Exercise by Referral" (EBR),  working in partnership across all sectors, the team also work closely with Derbyshire County Council’s Live Life Better Service (LLBD) and our leisure operator Everyone Active. Key responsibilities include, strategic involvement in the local Health and Wellbeing Group, Neighbourhood Alliance Financial Inclusion Group and the County Skills Board lead by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). 

• Get Active in The Forest: Get Active in The Forest project was brought in house in 2018 following an extremely successful 15 years under the tenure of Aurora Country Developments.  This project engages local people in activities including walking, cycling, chair based exercise, outdoor pursuits and archery. The Project oversees the Walk Derbyshire across the District and manages the National Forest Walking Festival in partnership with the National Forest Company. The Get Active Project’s aim is to engage the least active in the District to increasing their physical activity levels, but also delivers social and community cohesion through a wide range of volunteers.

• Active Schools Partnership: The Team is commissioned by primary and secondary schools in the District to deliver the Active Schools agenda. This includes sport competitions and festivals, curricular and extra-curricular activity, leadership and volunteering, physical activity programmes and teacher training.

• Leisure facilities: The Team is responsible for the client management of Green Bank Leisure Centre and Etwall Leisure Centre that are operated by Active Nation. It is also responsible for the management and development of community facilities and Swadlincote Town Hall. The service also leads the development of projects contained within the Open Space and Facility Development Strategy.