Presentation by Emma Tatlow, Chief Executive of Active Lincolnshire, regarding leisure provision across West Lindsey and in the context of national and countywide provision, through the global pandemic and beyond.

The Chairman introduced Emma Tatlow, CEO of Active Lincolnshire, and explained the focus of the Committee was to understand leisure provision across the district, including outreach programmes and how the council may be able to support local efforts.

Emma thanked the Committee for inviting her and explained that she had joined the company in May 2020, during the pandemic. The company had previously been known as Lincolnshire Sports Partnership and had primarily been focussed on provision of sports activities for people who were already involved in sports. The priority was now aiming at working with people as much as possible whether they were already active or to engage currently inactive people in new activities. She explained that there was a new management structure in place as well as new Board members and they were currently involved in business planning and assessing the key areas of greatest need across the county. Primary funding was provided by Sports England and that was for activities across Lincolnshire.

The commitment to driving forward was based on a whole system approach, to include working with health providers, transport links and support agencies in order to ensure people would be able to access activities across the board. This also included the planned launch of a new activity finder, with activities ranging from organised sports events to accessible walking or cycle routes.

Members saw details of the activity statistics across the county, which highlighted that the majority of Lincolnshire residents had a lower rate of activity in comparison with the national average. They also heard that West Lindsey was the third most inactive district in Lincolnshire. Emma noted that the statistics had not taken into account the impact of the pandemic however, initial reports showed that, whilst there had been an initial increase in activity levels at the start of the pandemic, this appeared to be petering off.

A Member of Committee enquired how levels of activity were measured and it was explained that the statistics came from a national survey run by Sports England. With regard to the accuracy of the data, it was explained that the figures could only be used if there was a sufficient number of responses in order to run data analysis.

There was discussion regarding rates of obesity and related illnesses and Emma confirmed that this was the focus behind the whole system approach, in order to engage with people who would otherwise not access traditional methods of exercise. She gave the example of promoting safe and accessible walking routes rather than focusing on trying to encourage people to go to a gym. If an inactive individual was supported to become more active through easily accessible options in their home area, it would be more beneficial than expecting that same individual to start attending a gym three times a week. It also helped alleviate transport related issues if an individual was able to increase activity without needing to go far.

The Chairman highlighted county-wide issues with speeding traffic on country roads and suggested this could be a factor that discouraged people to walk or cycle on their local roads. She noted a road safety scheme titled ‘20s Plenty’ and enquired whether campaigns such as this would be a part of the planning for Active Lincolnshire. Emma agreed that road safety could  be a considerable barrier to people being active in their local areas and explained there were a series of active conversations ongoing regarding how to improve access to local routes. A campaign such as ‘20s Plenty’ would be the type of campaign that Active Lincolnshire would look to support in line with the whole system approach. Emma also highlighted that they were working with local organisations, such as the Gainsborough Trinity Foundation, in order to maximise access and opportunities for everyone, whether that be in the form of an organised sports group or to better communicate other options according to the local area.

A Member of Committee enquired as to the age range covered and it was explained that the category of ‘older people’ was considered to be those aged 50 or over. Statistics showed that activity levels dropped off significantly after this age and the focus was to build positive habits from an early stage, with a view to those habits lasting a lifetime. With this in mind, Emma detailed some of the work they were involved in with local schools, although she conceded that the circumstances of the pandemic had made it increasingly difficult, especially given the second school closures from January 2021.

It was highlighted to the Committee that West Lindsey District Council Officers were already working with Emma and Active Lincolnshire in order to improve activity levels across the district and this would be an ongoing partnership. Emma reiterated the company focus of the whole system approach and the importance of working with organisations and communities outside of the traditional sporting settings.

The Chairman thanked Emma for her time and the detailed information provided and restated the importance of engaging local communities. This was agreed with across the board and the Committee repeated words of thanks to Emma for her time and efforts, with a positive view to the future.