Partners come together to strengthen community health

By GM Moving | 02 October 2024 | TAGS: active partnerships, "NHS", Workshops, physical activity

GM Moving were delighted to welcome colleagues from Active Partnerships, the NHS, local government and many more to Greater Manchester last week.  

Two events took place across Wednesday and Thursday (25/26 September) as part of our ongoing work to support moving more become an integral part of the health and care system.  

On Wednesday, the GM Moving team and key partners held an informal learning and networking session to share our journey to date through a series of discussions, workshops and presentations.  

The following day saw a full-day event led by the Active Partnerships National Organisation and NHS Horizons as 150 delegates delved into how to spread, scale, and accelerate the work. 

Attendees heard from Director of Public Health at NHS England, Sarah Price, and Sport England’s Executive Director of Place Lisa Dodd-Mayne.  

The event builds on two previous occasions, in Manchester last September and in Birmingham in April, and adds further strength to this ever-growing and developing network.   

GM Moving’s Strategic Lead for Health Inequalities, Kate Harding, said:  

“It was fantastic to welcome so many colleagues to Greater Manchester on Wednesday as an inspirational pre-cursor to the Active Partnership Network and NHS Horizons event. 

“Everyone has a role to play in supporting the growth of community-based health and wellbeing through movement, physical activity, and sport so bringing people together is vital.   

“Movement is a fundamental part of a happy, healthy life and there’s so much energy and determination to support the NHS and the wider health system make that vision a reality.” 

GM Moving’s Strategic Director for Health, Joe Sarling, added:  

“Movement is the foundation of good health, wellbeing, and thriving communities. But right now, movement and physical activity isn’t accessible to everyone in our country.  

“We are helping to change that. We want to help everyone move more. Activity that’s moving our country forward, powered by communities, designing movement back into all our lives. ​ 

“Each Active Partnership has a unique understanding of their local people, local barriers, and local opportunities and they know how to make change happen.” 

To learn more about GM Moving’s work alongside the health and social care sector to embed movement into daily life, visit our webpage.