Somerset Coastal Place Partnership

The Somerset coastal strip, from Porlock to Burnham, including Bridgwater, has been identified as an official Sport England Place Partnership.
This means Somerset is one of 80 places across England receiving significant investment from Sport England over the next three years to reduce inactivity levels among children and adults. This work is not simply about creating more opportunities to be active. It is about addressing deep-rooted inequalities so that movement and physical activity become realistic and viable choices for everyone.

Why this matters

Sport England research shows that active lifestyles save £10.5 billion each year for the health and social care system. This helps reduce pressure on the NHS by preventing:

• 1.3 million cases of depression
• 600,000 cases of diabetes
• 57,000 cases of dementia, the UK’s leading cause of death

Despite this, fewer than half of children meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for daily physical activity. Women, people from lower socio-economic groups, and Black and Asian communities are also less likely to be active than other adults.

A place-based approach in Somerset

To tackle long-standing inequalities and barriers to being active, Sport England is taking a place-based approach that works with local organisations and leaders who understand the needs of their communities and the assets already available.

This investment is Somerset-focused and aims to make Somerset an even better place to live. It is about doing things differently, while building on strong foundations already in place.

The approach supports people to move more in ways that reflect their everyday lives and local environments, and aligns with the Somerset Physical Activity and Sports Strategy 2022–2030, Somerset Moves, our system-wide, multi-agency framework for this work.

For more information or enquires, contact the Place team: