Case Study – Active Braintree Foundation
Organisation name: Active Braintree Foundation
Contact name: Tristan Easey
Role / job title: Trustee of ABF, Strategic Lead for Health and Leisure at Braintree District Council
Partnership / collaborators involved: Braintree District Council
Synopsis:
Active Braintree Foundation (ABF) is a registered charity, leading placed based approaches, partnerships and system working to enabling communities to participate in physical activity. It does this through providing an independent board of trustees who act as place-based specialists, working at district level to deliver the foundations vision –Everyone in the Braintree District has the opportunity to engage in sport or physical activity in order to improve their health and wellbeing, compete and have fun.
The Story:
The challenge
ABF was established in 2018 by the stakeholders of the Active Braintree Network, a local forum which aimed to drive place-based approaches to increasing physical activity and participation in sport. Through creating an independent foundation, the networks aim was to provide a vehicle that could be a voice for the sector, enable active environments and increase community capacity building resources through funding and training.
What was done
ABF is led by Chair and board of Trustees. The board comprises of representation from Braintree District Council, Active Essex, Essex County Council, Greater Essex ICB and representation from local VCSE and sports clubs. Within the local system, the foundation acts as the place-based lead to enabling physical activity and active wellbeing. Key to this approach is managing locality funding from Active Essex and Braintree District Council (and other grant funders where applicable) to develop activities across the district. The foundation organises training and development opportunities, hosts an annual Sports and Volunteer Awards ceremony and drives relationships across the local system stakeholders to advocate for active wellbeing.
Impact and outcomes
What changed as a result?
This can include wellbeing outcomes, participation, system impact, learning or early indicators.
Data is welcome where available, but not essential.
Active Braintree Foundation has developed its role from a small grant funder to local system influencer and convener. Key activities for the past 12 months have included:
- Leading a large partnership funding bid to launch Beat the Street, engaging 11,400 residents
- Supporting key sporting events, such as the Halstead and Essex marathon
- Codesigning a 3-year Active Rewards pathway embedded in our leisure centres, supporting referrals between primary care and VCSE partners to increase access to active wellbeing activities to those furthest away from participation
- Allocated £22,000 in grant funding to clubs and VCSE groups
Learning and Relevance
Why this matters
Through the Active Braintree Foundation, the local system has created an independent board that provides governance, leadership and advocacy for driving change at place/district level. In doing this, it has enhanced the local system with a strong voice representing sport, physical activity and active wellbeing. From a local authority perspective, it provides challenge to decision making and independence through building relationships with local and system stakeholders.
What would you do differently next time?
Active Braintree Foundation has grown from the desire of local people/leaders/networks to do more. Building on this energy has taken time, whilst managing competing priorities around system demands and resources. ABF and the network it represents is now faced with new challenges. In a world of Local Government Reorganisation, Devolution, ICB restructures, increased financial pressures and widening inequalities the relationships it has with the wider system will be tested, whilst it’s strength will be in maintaining deep place-based relationships. For ABF, the questions is not so much what we could have done differently, but rather what can we continue to do better together?