Active Humber is committed to strong and responsible governance. We continued to meet Tier 3 of the Code for Sports Governance in 2025.
This is important because it ensures we are a trusted, well-run, and effective organisation. Strong governance helps us achieve the impact we want across the Humber. More details, including our 2025 annual governance statement, are available on our Governance pages.
Annual Accounts
Having a clear business plan and managing our finances carefully is essential.
Our 2024/25 annual accounts are available on our Governance pages. These show how we use our funding responsibly to benefit both the organisation and the communities we serve.
Board Recruitment
The Board and its sub-committees met regularly throughout the year to ensure Active Humber remains effective, focused, and delivering impact. Board minutes can be found on our Governance pages.
In 2025, four long-serving board members stepped down after completing the maximum two terms of four years:
- Richard Smith – Chair
- Chris Adams – Senior Independent Director
- Jane Stafford – Welfare and Safety Director, Equality Lead
- Natalie Murphy – Communications and Marketing Director
These board members joined Active Humber during a very challenging period. At that time, the organisation faced financial uncertainty and structural change, and relationships with key partners, including Sport England, needed rebuilding.
They led a major improvement programme which strengthened the organisation. Today, Active Humber benefits from strong approval ratings and a positive reputation across the Humber. We are extremely grateful for their leadership, dedication, and impact in helping more people become physically active and tackling inequalities.
Rebecca D’Arcy has now been appointed as the new Chair. She brings extensive experience, particularly in working with children and young people in education settings.
During 2025, we carried out a thorough recruitment process to appoint six new trustees. The new board members bring experience from communications and marketing, public health, local government, disability sport, welfare and safeguarding, community sport, civil service, national governing bodies, charitable organisations, and work focused on reducing inequalities.
Team and People Development
In 2025, there were changes within the staff team. Adam Wightman (Development Manager – Active Ageing) and Luke Metcalf (Development Manager – Communities & Inequalities) both moved on to new roles. We thank Adam for his innovative work in active ageing, and Luke for embedding a trauma-informed approach across our work and promoting the use of the Lundy model to better listen to and learn from communities.
As the organisation continues to develop its place-based approach, we welcomed new team members:
Tony Forrestor
Head of Programmes and Projects with a focus around our work on active environments and design as well as the economic and skills agenda.
Tony Forrestor
Head of Programmes and Projects with a focus around our work on active environments and design as well as the economic and skills agenda.
Ailey McLaughlin
Development Manager (Adults) to lead on our new approach in helping inactive adults get active
Ailey McLaughlin
Development Manager (Adults) to lead on our new approach in helping inactive adults get active
Rhiannon Lloyd
Development Officer, Programmes and Projects to support the Development Team in all they do and also a special emphasis on race equality work.
Rhiannon Lloyd
Development Officer, Programmes and Projects to support the Development Team in all they do and also a special emphasis on race equality work.
Click here to get to know our full staff team.
The staff team continues to report high levels of job satisfaction, both through our internal staff survey and the national Active Partnerships staff survey. We believe that when colleagues feel valued and supported, they are better able to support communities.
HEY Confident Futures
HEY Confident Futures is a free leadership network for people working in the voluntary, cultural, and sporting sectors across Hull and East Yorkshire.
The network supports leaders at all stages, from emerging leaders to experienced senior professionals. Its aim is to develop confident, generous leaders who can create positive change within their organisations and across the wider sector.
At Active Humber, HEY Confident Futures helps colleagues grow in confidence, strengthen their leadership skills, and look after their own wellbeing. This supports our wider goal of meeting community needs and contributing to a stronger, more sustainable voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.
Sustainable Development Goals:
