Sport and physical activity matters in the Humber
We created a report explaining why increasing sport and physical activity is important for health and wellbeing across the Humber.
Being active is not only good for individuals. It also benefits families, communities, the local economy, and the environment. As the Humber moves towards new devolved leadership in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire, there is a real opportunity to use sport and physical activity to help make the area a happier, healthier place to live, work, and visit.
The report was shaped by ideas from many organisations and people across the Humber. It sets out nine key recommendations. Active Humber believes that if these recommendations are put into action, physical activity levels across the region will rise significantly.
- Promote the power of moving more as a means of prevention and protection against mental and physical ill health.
- Recognise the importance of joined up working by facilitating opportunities for partners in a variety of sectors to meet.
- Encourage employers to adopt active workplace principles by raising awareness and incentivising participation in physical activity.
- Offer further support to VCSE organisations with outreach and funding.
- Consider the language, images, content, and resources used to build a more inclusive perception of sport and physical activity.
- Harness proximity to the coast and promote blue exercise at all ages. Provide inclusive opportunities for young people to learn how to swim and raise awareness of the benefits of swimming.
- Apply active design principles to future rural, urban, and coastal regeneration projects to ensure that all communities can access safe walking and cycle routes and sports facilities.
- Co-design sports and physical activity opportunities with young people to ensure that the offer is tailored to them.
- Work with Sport England to help organisations in the sector to develop climate action plans.
We look forward to working with partners to begin delivering these recommendations.
Click here to access the full report.
Vision for Work, Health and Skills
Active Humber, North Yorkshire Sport, and Yorkshire Sport Foundation have worked together to create a Vision for Work, Health and Skills.
This vision explains how sport and physical activity can help people be more active and improve their lives. It highlights the importance of developing skills within the sport and physical activity sector, and how this can drive positive change.
It also calls for sport and physical activity to be included in local and regional plans for work, health, and skills development.
David Gent, CEO at Active Humber, said:
"The Humber energy estuary is vital to the success of the United Kingdom economy and the new investment that will come to the region through the establishment of the mayors, it is vital the place has a fit and healthy workforce to meet these economic opportunities.
"The Yorkshire & Humber vision for work, health and skills sets how the sport and physical activity sector will help to deliver a fit and healthy workforce as well as attract people who want to work and live in the region to create that successful economic future.
"We at Active Humber look forward to playing our active part in that exciting and inclusive economic future."
Click hear to read the full pack.
Relationship with the Combined Authorities
In 2025, there were major political changes in the Humber with the election of new mayors for Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire.
Active Humber has worked closely with both mayoral offices to make sure sport and physical activity are included in their future plans.
In Greater Lincolnshire, Active Lincolnshire and Active Humber met with Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, to discuss Sport England’s place-based expansion work. This work will continue to develop in 2026.
In Hull & East Yorkshire, Mayor Luke Campbell has made improving health and fitness one of his main priorities. This commitment is included in the region’s new economic strategy. Sport England, Active Humber, and the Mayor’s office are meeting regularly to ensure national investment supports plans to increase physical activity across Hull & East Yorkshire.
Active Humber’s CEO, David Gent, is Deputy Chair of the Mayoral Skills Board. This board sets out plans to improve skills and employment opportunities across the region.
Work has also started to refresh the region’s approach to workplace health, recognising the important role physical activity plays in supporting employees’ wellbeing.
Communications
Social Media
This year, the Marketing Team focused on growing our presence on LinkedIn.
The aim was to increase conversations and engagement with physical activity professionals and key influencers, as they are more active on LinkedIn than on other platforms. As a result of this focus, our follower numbers and engagement rates steadily increased throughout the year.
Website
We continue to publish regular news articles on our website each month.
In addition, we created a clear plan to share blogs and case studies more consistently. This approach has already shown positive results, with a noticeable increase in website visitors during October and November, driven mainly by people reading our blog content.
Campaigns
Some of our key campaign highlights this year included:
- Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week
- This Girl Can
- We Are Undefeatable
- Social Prescribing Day
- Active Humber staff sharing their physical literacy stories
These campaigns helped raise awareness, promote inclusion, and encourage more people to be physically active.
Sustainable Development Goals:
