Active Norfolk

Calling all schools, The Big Norfolk Holiday Fun will be back in full swing this Easter, with a range of free, fun and stimulating activities available for pupils on free school meals. Thanks to your support, we have reached over 19,500 children since 2021, with a fifth of participants having Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND). Many parents have remarked on how the programme has positively influenced their child throughout the holidays. One parent said, "Watching my child succeed, come out of an activity happy, and feel safe has been so rewarding, and has helped with regulation at home and given us a break," Engagement with the programme has, in addition, revealed a positive impact on improving school attendance. Your support is invaluable. To ensure that the families and young people you work with are aware of BNHF, you can request our free promotional materials, including flyers, posters and banners here: https://lnkd.in/d7zYnHbV The deadline to request materials is 4 March at 5:00 PM. #BigNorfolkHolidayFun #BNHF #BNHF2025

The Power of Collaboration in Sport ?? Huge credit to the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit and Active Partnerships for bringing together National Governing Bodies (NGB’s) and Sport Welfare Officers (SWO’s) for a day of collaboration. This was an opportunity for SWO’s to share the incredible work they are doing across NGB’s at local and regional levels. Also, an opportunity to hear from Swim England and Bowls Development Alliance about the positive impact SWO’s are having for them. By placing collaboration at the heart of their approach, they are driving real impact—connecting people, sharing expertise, and strengthening the sporting landscape for all. When we work together, we create more opportunities, reach more communities, and build a stronger, more inclusive future for sport. We are better together! Contact Anita Stewart our Sport Welfare Officer for more information about how your club can benefit from this collaboration: https://lnkd.in/eYYXT6GM #SportWelfare #ActivePartnerships

On Tuesday, we ran our post-winter delivery event for our Big Norfolk Holiday Fun providers, with 57 providers in attendance. The event discussed next steps for the programme, in light of the funding extension agreed by the Department for Education, with talks from activity providers, previous programme participants, and a demonstration from nutritionist Catherine Jeans. Congratulations to the following providers on winning the previous programme's HAF awards: The Clare School for Best SEND Provider, Henderson Trust for Best Provision for Older Children, Whitlingham Adventure for Best Food Provision, Pav Funball Academy for Best Nutritional Education, Green Lizard for Most Sustainable, and WHAM Theatre Norfolk for Best Enrichment Activities Thank you to everyone who made the day a success. We continue to plan for a promising Easter delivery period, looking forward to working with our providers on this programme for an extra year. #BNHF #BigNorfolkHolidayFun

Last week, working in partnership, we delivered the first East Region Welfare Webinar focusing on mental health in sport ?? ?? This session was part one of a regional webinar series, alongside Sport Welfare Officer colleagues from the East Region Active Partnerships. We were joined by Karen Shaw, @mind_2 Physical Activity Consultant who co-developed the 'Spot. Support. Signpost' resources. Karen delivered a brilliant session on these resources and gave us plenty of everyday things we can do to support others. Reach out if you missed the session and would like the recording ?? Thank you to everyone who came along from a variety of different sports. Swim England British Gymnastics LTA British Triathlon Federation England Athletics Volleyball England ?? If you want to find out more contact Active Norfolk's Sport Welfare Officer Anita: [email protected] #SportWelfare #ActiveParternships #MentalHealthInSport

Yesterday, we hosted our first Norfolk Active Schools Development Day, bringing together a diverse group of schools and educational experts from across Norfolk to collaborate and share valuable insights. The day was filled with engaging workshops and meaningful discussions on how to better support our students and improve school facilities. Key topics covered included: ?? Learnings from the Opening Schools Facilities Funding ?? How Active Are Our Schools? ?? Creating Active Schools – Where to Start? ?? Sustainable Transport and Active Travel with Roz Branchfield-Symonds and Charlotte Collins ?? Making Physical Activity Accessible for SEND Pupils with Iain Mills (Youth Sport Trust Inclusion Lead) ?? Trauma-Informed Practice with Neil Moggan and Harriet Tunnicliff (Future Action and NCC) We were also inspired by project leads from schools who have received OSF funding over the past three years: ?? Danny Burton - Thetford Academy ?? David Hopkins - Bacton Primary ?? Iain Mills - The Parkside School A big thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday! If you're interested in learning more about the support we can offer to schools, visit: https://lnkd.in/eY73EFaj #ActiveSchools #SchoolDevelopment #EducationPartnership #NorfolkEducation #PhysicalActivity #SustainableTransport #InclusiveEducat

Do you know someone looking for a new challenge within the digital and marketing world? We are hiring for a Digital Development Officer on a fixed term contract for a year. In this role, you'll have the chance to flex your creativity and create impactful digital campaigns and web pages! You'll be in charge of handling Active Norfolk's social media accounts, and play a vital role in marketing important projects such as All To Play For and the running of Every Move activity finder. In return, we offer flexible hybrid working arrangements, and the chance to feel like you're really making a difference with your work. To find out more and apply, visit: https://lnkd.in/emZVYDw7

We welcome the news that the Department for Education has agreed a further one year’s funding for the Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) scheme, known locally as Big Norfolk Holiday Fun. Since launching four years ago, the programme has supported more than 18,000 children in Norfolk, increased levels of physical activity and provided much needed childcare and activities in the school holidays. The announcement from the DfE means that the programme can continue in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. We’re still awaiting details on the funding allocation for Norfolk but are hoping that we will be able to continue the programme on the same size and scale as previous years. In the meantime, to see the scope of the programme's impact, you can read more on our impact here: https://lnkd.in/ej2e4yzw #BigNorfolkHolidayFun #BNHF

BRAND NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY! A new job opportunity has arisen at Active Norfolk, working as part of our marketing team. With hybrid working available, the Digital Development Officer role supports the overall digital marketing within the team. This includes creating eye-catching, engaging and exciting content, and measuring the impact of all campaigns. It also includes managing and maintaining both the Active Norfolk and the Every Move website. You will be responsible for evaluating technical performance and development, and as such a working knowledge of GA4 and web management systems such as Wordpress would be advantageous to hit the ground running. However, it is important to note we support learning opportunities at Active Norfolk and welcome applications from anyone with a keen interest in digital development and marketing. If you have a love of creating digital content and are looking for a new opportunity, we'd love to hear from you! You can get in touch by emailing [email protected] or read more about the role here: https://lnkd.in/eS9ei-Yh

Have you been a Big Norfolk Holiday Fun Provider in the past 2 years? You are cordially invited to our post-winter delivery drop-in, running on 11 February at the Wensum Valley Hotel, Golf and Country Club. The main event will run from 10 AM to 3 PM, with doors open from 9:30 AM. This will celebrate all your hard work as well as reviewing the programme as a whole. This event will be bigger than those held previously, featuring guest speakers, live music, and food. As 1 more year of funding has been announced by the Department for Education, this event will outline future planning and any significant changes. For more information regarding the future of the programme, please visit our page on the future of BNHF: https://lnkd.in/ec63zeP7 Please note to be considered for future HAF funding, it is mandatory someone represents your organisation. BNHF providers please fill in this form by 27 January to represent your organisation on the day: https://lnkd.in/ejk9WDdk #BigNorfolkHolidayFun #BNHF

As we approach the weekend, it's important to take time out to relax and unwind, particularly after a busy working week. At Active Norfolk, we are keen advocates of physical activity being good for your physical and mental wellbeing - the more you can keep moving, the better! Remember that physical activity isn't just about 'conventional' ways of getting fit. For example, whilst your local parkrun is a great place to start, you can also get moving by finding your calm and doing some gentle gardening or swimming. This can also be a perfect way to close a stressful week and reset yourself for the next one. If you are having trouble getting started, take a look at some of our favourite resources including Bill Bailey’s SOFA workout (https://bit.ly/3ZP399K) and Norfolk County Councils Ready To Change website. (https://bit.ly/41I9Xso)