November Update

November was a huge month for Active Calderdale, as we submitted our request for our first round of LDP funding, which will be instrumental in the rollout of system change for the borough. A significant amount of effort has been put into the application, and subsequent visits from Sport England. That’s not all that we got up to of course, our work continues to bring the systems of Calderdale together to create the most active borough in the North.

Calderdale Welcomes Members of the Sport England Board

In late November we were delighted to welcome Chris Grant from the board at Sport England, as well as Lisa O’Keefe, Sport England’s Executive Director of Insight. Both Lisa and Chris have visited us before, to stay up to date on our progress with the LDP, and we ensured that all of our hard work was given the best platform possible.

Bankfield Surgery Take over Brighouse Parkrun again!

During National Self Care Week in November, Bankfield Surgery were promoting physical activity to all of their patients - and topped it off by taking over Brighouse Parkrun on the 30th! Great to see so many runners out on a crisp morning, especially as the weather cancelled their last takeover attempt!

Recruiting Calderdale Council employees to become Active Champions

In early November we held a session at Halifax Town Hall to recruit some Active Champions from the Council workforce. We successfully recruited 12 champions to trial the role. They were each given a T-shirt to wear when they’re getting active either in work or in their own time. The only ask of them is to encourage others to be active in any way they can – particularly when they’re at work.

Quarterly meetings will be held to continue to raise awareness, promote and develop workplace physical activity opportunities and support the Active Champions within their role.

Filming at Higgins Close

As part of our video series on different ways Calderdale residents are already getting active, we visited Higgins Close day care centre in Halifax for Becky’s Bootcamp. Becky has been doing some amazing work with the visitors at Higgins Close to get them moving in a chair based exercise routine. It was a delight to shine a light on the session, and all of the amazing benefits it has had for the participants.

Taking a walk around People's Park

Toyaba, our Community Engagement Coordinator for Park Ward and Central took to People's Park with some Park Ward residents. The walk aimed to change perceptions and attitudes towards getting out in the cold and showcasing the safety measures in place to ensure that getting active in the park is a real option for all.