After an incredible day bringing the sector together to shape the future of sport and physical activity in the capital, we’re recapping on 5 key moments from Active London 2022.
Nick Pontefract’s inspirational opening keynote
Sport England’s Nick Pontefract joined us for the first keynote speech of the day. Nick spoke about the importance of connecting with communities, saying “if you can get community engagement right, it has transformative results on sport and physical activity”.
Speaking to our audience of sector leaders, decision-makers, policymakers, and professional and community organisations, Nick’s presentation embodied the theme of Places and Spaces by examining Sport England’s Local Delivery Pilots and sharing key learnings.
Dr Tom Coffey shared the Mayor of London’s plan to ensure every Londoner has access to green space
Senior Advisor to the Mayor of London on Health Policy, Dr Tom Coffey was next up on stage delivering his keynote speech ‘Enabling place and space to get London active’. There were some excellent takeaways for our delegates on the true impact of place on the health and wellbeing of Londoners, and the ease in which they can live an active lifestyle.
Dr Coffey spoke of his work with the Mayor of London to ensure every Londoner lives within 400m of green space,and their plans of building ‘pocket parks’, creating new outdoor spaces for recreational activity in unused spaces across the capital.
SOSA Fitness got Active London dancing
To celebrate National Fitness Day, SOSA Fitness, an inclusive dance fitness organisation, got our delegates moving through a seated dance routine. Along with the fun fitness routine to the tune of ‘Blame It On The Boogie’, SOSA Fitness discussed the importance of dance inclusivity for those with long-term health conditions, and creating fun, engaging ways for everyone to be active
An insightful Q&A with London Sport’s CEO, Emily Robinson
Having joined London Sport just over 6 months ago, Active London was the perfect opportunity for the sector to get to know our CEO, Emily Robinson, a bit better,and hear her plans for London Sport’s work across the capital.
Emily reflected on her childhood experiences with sport and physical activity, relating to the thousands of young Londoners that feel they can’t engage with sport, saying “part of my motivation to be here is that I don’t want any one person to have that feeling of ‘that’s not for me’”.
Stacey Mullock on ensuring the “sparkle” of the Euro’s legacy lives on
Our final speaker of the day saw Stacey Mullock, Tournaments Legacy Manager at The FA take the stage to discuss the next steps for ensuring the legacy of the women’s Euros creates a lasting change in women and girl’s football.
Stacey shared The FA’s objectives for women’s football over the next two years, and their plans for the creation of legacy groups in the host cities.
Closing off her keynote speech, Stacey shared a powerful quote from what they hope to be the lasting legacy of the incredible summer of women’s football: “there will be no lost generation, because all girls will have the opportunity to play, in their way”
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