Northamptonshire secures £2.3 million investment to help communities move more

23 June 2026

Northamptonshire has secured more than £2.3 million through Sport England’s Place Expansion programme.The investment will support long-term work tackling inequalities in physical activity, health and wellbeing across some of the county’s most underserved neighbourhoods.

The investment will support long-term work in four priority places:

• Kings Heath and Spencer, Northampton
• Kingswood, Corby
• Lodge Park, Corby
• Queensway, Wellingborough

Northamptonshire is one of 90 areas in England to be selected as part of Sport England’s Place Partnerships programme, which is investing £250million nationally to help communities become more active through place-based approaches.

Led locally by charity, Northamptonshire Sport, the programme brings together West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), North Northamptonshire Council (NNC), the Northamptonshire Integrated Care System,the University of Northampton and partners from the voluntary and community sector.

Together, partners will continue working alongside local communities to better understand the barriers people face to being active. The programme will support approaches shaped around local needs, strengths and experiences, while also addressing the wider factors that influence health and physical activity.

The funding follows a successful development phase, where residents, community organisations and partners worked together to explore local challenges, test ideas and build stronger connections.
The approach is already helping shape projects locally. In Kingswood, Corby, Northamptonshire Sport and partners have been working alongside residents through the Kingswood Move Together project.

The community-led group was developed in response to local conversations. Weekly sessions include gentle activity, games and social time in a familiar and welcoming environment. The project has grown by listening to local people, building relationships and adapting sessions around what matters most to the community.

The new investment supports initiatives that help people be active in ways that work for them, while also strengthening leadership, improving shared spaces and creating more opportunities for everyone. 

Key areas of work include:

• Supporting community-led projects and local organisations
• Enhancing school-based opportunities for children and young people, underpinned by physical literacy to support lifelong engagement in physical activity
• Helping families be active together using local green spaces
• Developing youth leadership, volunteering and employability opportunities
• Enabling older adults to lead more active, connected lives through increased physical activity, stronger social networks, and reduced loneliness
• Supporting more women and girls to be active through female leadership and workforce opportunities
• Expanding inclusive opportunities for disabled people to be active and socialise.
• Capturing learning and insight to shape future investment and wider system change

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director for Place, said:
“We want everyone, no matter where they live or who they are, to have the chance to be
active and healthy. To do this, we’re focusing on places, towns, cities, and communities,
where people face the biggest challenges. 

We are proud to announce a further 27 new Sport England place partnerships, in every corner of the country, bringing the total number of places we are working with to more than 90. 

We are committed to working with local partners and communities to break down the barriers to physical activity so that everyone has equal access to a more active life. We are excited to see what we can achieve together in Northamptonshire.”

Chris Holmes, Chief Executive Officer at Northamptonshire Sport, said:
"This investment is a significant opportunity for Northamptonshire. It recognises the strength of the partnerships that have been built here and the commitment to tackling inequalities through community-led change. We’re proud to be leading this next phase of work and look forward to seeing the wider positive impact it has.

The funding will help us work alongside communities to understand what matters most to local people and create the conditions that make it easier for everyone to move more and become active. By bringing together partners across health, local government, education and the voluntary sector, we can create lasting change that improves both physical activity levels and wider health and wellbeing outcomes."

Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of WNC, said: 
“We strongly welcome this investment, which will help us work even more closely with our communities to understand and remove the barriers that stop people from being active.

“By focusing on local needs in areas such as Kings Heath and Spencer, and by strengthening our partnerships across the county, we can support healthier lifestyles, reduce inequalities and improve wellbeing for residents across West Northamptonshire and beyond.”

Councillor Brian Benneyworth, Executive Member for Housing, Health and Leisure at North Northamptonshire Council said:

“This is a welcome investment for communities across North Northamptonshire. Working closely with Northamptonshire Sport, partners and our residents, we can better understand local barriers and support initiatives that help people to be active in ways that work for them. This approach will help improve wellbeing, strengthen our communities and create more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.”

As the accountable body for the Northamptonshire Place Partnerships, Northamptonshire Sport will continue working alongside partners, communities and local leaders to help create long-term positive change across the county.

To find out more about the work already happening in communities across Northamptonshire, please contact: [email protected].