The Let’s Move Lincolnshire countywide strategy for physical activity continues to move beyond being a strategy document and increasingly acts as a framework for collective action across the county.

Our Focus on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

One area where Active Lincolnshire is leading the way is through our strong focus on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL). As a key requirement of our Place Partnership work, MEL helps us develop a deeper understanding of the barriers, inequalities and challenges that people face. What began as an important element of our Place Partnership approach has rapidly evolved to become embedded across all aspects of Active Lincolnshire’s work. Today, we champion the importance, value and impact of MEL, not only within our own organisation but also as a tool for other organisations seeking to drive meaningful and systemic change

What Has Changed

• Physical activity is becoming more embedded within wider health and wellbeing discussions.
• More organisations are aligning around shared priorities, leading to increased cross-sector collaboration and a greater use of data, insight and evaluation to shape policy and direct resources effectively.
• Partners are increasingly recognising physical activity as a preventative tool that supports health, wellbeing and resilience.

Why It Matters

Greater alignment between organisations creates a stronger foundation for coordinated action, targeted investment and long-term impact. Rather than working in isolation, partners are increasingly contributing towards a shared ambition: helping more people become active and reducing inequalities across Lincolnshire. Our work has focused on understanding local need and co creating solutions that last. By investing in partnerships, workforce development and place-based approaches, we are creating the conditions for long-term change. MEL underpins all this work and creates outcomes and outputs for organisations to align with.

Insight and & Learning in Practice

• Working with Lincoln Rural Institute of Health Inequalities to share learning and develop ways of working.
• Embedding our approach to monitoring, learning and evaluation across programmes
• Connecting with other local organisations seeking community insight and learning to join up and share insight and approaches.
• Developing an approach to create tools such as Theory of Change and system maturity matrix to support and underpin our work.
• Established regular learning practices in the organisation and with our partners. Insight and learning have been embedded across all programmes, ensuring our work is shaped by robust evidence, local data and lived experience.

Embedding MEL Across the Organisation

We have continued to embed Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) across the organisation, ensuring evidence and insight inform planning, decision-making and continuous improvement. This investment has strengthened delivery, improved partnership working and helped create a stronger learning culture.

Through shared frameworks, tools and reporting processes, we are developing more consistent ways to capture outcomes, impact and learning, enabling us to better track progress and demonstrate our contribution to system change. Regular reflection sessions, learning workshops and collaborative spaces support staff and partners to test, adapt and refine approaches in real time.

Our community insight work on the Beacon Estate in Skegness demonstrates this approach in practice. Working with Lincolnshire County Council, we engaged residents, young people, schools and community stakeholders to better understand experiences of physical activity, green space and wellbeing. The findings informed a Pride in Place investment proposal and highlighted the need for safe, accessible and inclusive spaces that support physical activity, social connection and a sense of belonging. The engagement also provided valuable insight into barriers such as affordability, safety, transport and accessibility, helping to inform future place-based planning and investment.

Place-Based Engagement and Community Insight

Another example is our engagement work in South Holland. Since October 2025, we have recorded approximately 641 engagement interactions, including 521 involving children, young people and families. Similarly, in Boston, engagement with over 200 children and families has influenced place-based decision making, helping ensure interventions are relevant, inclusive and responsive to community need. Feedback from delivery partners, stakeholders and system leaders has further strengthened our understanding of what works, for whom and in what contexts. This growing evidence base is enabling us to better understand behaviour change, reduce inequalities and identify where our approaches are having the greatest impact.

By embedding learning across the organisation, we are ensuring that insight not only informs individual programmes but also shapes future investment, strategic priorities and long-term system development.