Sport England National Lottery funding is helping people overcome barriers to physical activity by creating more inclusive and accessible opportunities. Through workforce development investment, instructors have gained specialist skills to support people with long-term health conditions and mobility challenges. This has led to the creation of new seated exercise programmes across East Lindsey and Boston, helping people transition from rehabilitation into community activity, improving confidence, wellbeing and social connection. .

We have aligned workforce development to local demand, with much of it being driven by the Active Communities Skills Programme which was funded by UKSPF. The aim was to strengthen the workforce in areas with the greatest need. By reducing barriers to training and development, the programme enabled more people to gain the skills and confidence needed to enter, progress within or diversify their roles in the physical activity sector.

Outcomes

This investment has translated into tangible outcomes across

• Organisations have increased their capacity to deliver inclusive activities, expanded their offer for underrepresented groups and strengthened local delivery through a more skilled and confident workforce.
• Participants reported greater confidence and increased opportunities to support their communities through physical activity.

Building inclusive pathways through seated exercise

A fantastic example of aligning workforce development to local need is our Building Inclusive Pathways Through Seated Exercise programme across East Lindsey and Boston. This initiative helps address the “cliff edge” dilemma many people face when returning to activity after rehabilitation, or when building the confidence to consider physical activity as a realistic option.

The challenge

One of the key obstacles for people completing physical activity programmes is having the confidence to move into mainstream activity environments. Without support pathways and relevant opportunities available, there is an increased risk that individuals become inactive once structured health support has ended.

What we did

Active Lincolnshire’s Skills Fund enabled instructors to gain specialist seated exercise qualifications, creating more accessible activity opportunities and strengthening local support for people with long-term health conditions.

One example of how the Skills Fund has made an impact is Liezi, a Magna Vitae personal trainer, who used training funded through Active Lincolnshire to develop specialist expertise in diabetes support and seated exercise. She now delivers regular classes across Lincolnshire, supporting residents who may otherwise struggle to remain active.

This had a huge positive impact by expanding access to physical activity for people with additional health and mobility needs. As well as creating sustainable pathways from rehabilitation into community-based activities.

Why it matters

Workforce development has also strengthened inclusion and helped provide more opportunities for people with long term health conditions and mobility challenges to be active. Providers have increased their confidence to deliver inclusive sessions, creating more accessible and representative opportunities for residents. By creating a skilled workforce, we can strengthen pathways between health interventions and local activity, so people can continue being active long-term and not just as part of a temporary programme.