New extended partnership to benefit thousands of residents in Bedfordshire

Thousands of Bedfordshire residents could lead healthier and more active lives thanks to a new partnership between public health, housing and sporting organisations.

We’ve teamed up with two other housing associations – all of which already work closely with public health – to partner with Be Active, supported by investment from Sport England.

This initiative will bring fresh resources and programmes to increase physical activity and improve health equity in local communities.

The investment forms part of Sport England’s Place Universal Offer, whichprovides the right blend of support, resources and investment to every local community across England, so that everyone has the chance to be active.

Our customers, as well as those from Peabody and bpha will benefit from the partnership, building on the existing Health and Housing Partnership which has engaged almost 3,000 residents and connected more than 600 of them with public health or support services.

A new Programme Director will join us from 12 January to oversee the rollout.

Phil Hardy, Chief Operations Officer, said: “This collaboration, which is an extension of our ongoing Health and Housing Partnership, connects housing and health with physical activity to tackle inequalities in our communities.

“It represents a whole system approach, working across housing, health and community sectors to help residents in underserved communities in Bedfordshire to become more active.

“To have Sport England backing as part of a national drive to reduce inactivity and tackle inequalities is really important to help make this a success and we’re really excited to get started and make a difference for our customers.”

Liz Parsons, who has been leading the Health and Housing Partnership, will be taking up the new Programme Director role.

She said: “We’ll focus our efforts on areas where we know there is greatest need and we’ll also share good practice across the housing sector alongside Sport England and the Chartered Institute of Housing so this can hopefully be expanded.

“We’re determined to make active, healthy living a reality, right where our residents live and this project will help to embed activity, health and wellbeing opportunities into the fabric of our housing communities.”

Adam Rigarlsford, Director of Place Relationships, Sport England, added: “Communities thrive when people have the opportunity to be active where they live.

“Housing partners play a vital role in connecting with their residents and making that possible. We’re pleased to support this collaboration in Bedfordshire, which brings local organisations together to help more residents enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of an active lifestyle.

“Together we will collectively create long-lasting change and ensure that everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, is able to get active.”

Anna Humphries, Director of Customers and Services at bpha, said the organisation was delighted to be part of the partnership to bring housing, health and physical activity together.

She added: “By helping to embed opportunities for active, healthy living into our communities, we can help tackle inequalities and provide more opportunities for our customers and people across Bedfordshire to lead healthier lives.”

Kirsty Pepper, Managing Director for Peabody’s north counties region, also said: “This expansion of our Health and Housing partnership is another step towards a more joined-up approach to tackling health inequalities.

“It also means we can tailor support to what local communities really need.

“We want everyone to feel that being active is a normal part of everyday life. That’s why this partnership is such great news – it will create more opportunities for people to move, feel good, and connect with their community.”

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