Children & Young People’s Forum: Collaboration, Community, and Fresh Ideas for Youth Activity Across Sussex

The latest Children and Young People’s (CYP) Forum brought together more than 30 partners from across Sussex for a morning packed with updates, shared learning, and inspiring examples of how organisations are helping children and young people to be active. 

Led by Andy Wright, Strategic Lead for Children and Young People at Active Sussex, the session highlighted both the challenges and the exciting opportunities emerging across the sector.

From cycling and rugby to community play, safeguarding, and leadership development, the forum showcased the breadth of work happening across the county and the collective commitment to putting children and young people at the heart of physical activity.

Tackling Bikeability Engagement Challenges

Rachel Slack opened the discussion with an honest look at declining Bikeability engagement among young people in Sussex and beyond. Cost, time pressures, and safety concerns are all contributing factors, and research is underway to better understand these barriers.

Partners shared a range of ideas and offers of support, including expressing interest in collaborating on surveys to gather deeper insights, exploring VR technology to make cycling education more engaging, and highlighting opportunities to adapt Bikeability for SEN participants. The ‘My Health My School’ survey was flagged as a useful data source, while another idea was to link Bikeability with holiday clubs to support working families.

Rachel also celebrated the success of ‘Wheels for All’ in Eastbourne, which welcomed 70 participants to its first inclusive cycling session of the year – a reminder of the appetite for accessible, community‑based cycling opportunities.

Rugby Growth and New Opportunities for Older Adults

Vicky Alexander from England Rugby shared an uplifting update on rugby participation following the Rugby World Cup. Walking rugby has proved particularly popular, with 886 new participants, including 12 women from a South Asian group, getting involved. Sessions have become a regular fixture for over‑55s, and there are plans to expand into other areas with similar demographics.

In schools, non‑contact T1 rugby continues to grow, with 147 clubs taking part nationally – 15 of them in Sussex – and 18 new participants, mostly girls, joining the game.

Park Play: Bringing Weekly Community Play to Sussex

Ed Perry introduced Park Play, a national charity offering free, weekly, volunteer‑led play sessions designed to bring communities together through fun, inclusive physical activity. 

Sessions run every week of the year and include full training, insurance, equipment, and games.

Currently, Chichester is the only Sussex location, but expansion is firmly on the horizon. 

Ed is keen to explore opportunities in Brighton and beyond, and has invited partners to connect for webinars or one‑to‑one conversations.

Park Play has also opened up new volunteer pathways for young people through a shorter online training course, creating fresh leadership opportunities.

Leadership Skills Foundation: New Training and Qualifications

Holly Mulberry, the new Relationship Manager for East London and the Southeast at the Leadership Skills Foundation, introduced the organisation’s suite of leadership qualifications and resources. 

These programmes support young people to develop confidence, communication skills, and leadership experience across schools, clubs, and community settings.

Several partners expressed interest in exploring collaborations – a promising sign for future youth leadership pathways across Sussex.

Hockey, Coaching Networks, and Peer Support

Sue Perry provided an update on hockey development, including the Southeast Hockey Futures programme, which supports primary schools but continues to face challenges around pitch access.

Loretta Lock from Defiant Sports encouraged colleagues to join the Play Their Way WhatsApp group, a growing peer‑support space for physical activity leaders. The group also discussed the child‑first coaching network.

Key Dates: Active Sussex Events for 2026

Ed Bartram shared the upcoming events calendar for Active Sussex, including:

• Networking Coffee Morning – March 24
• Parallel Youth Games – May 20
• Active Sussex Conference – September 29
• Sussex Sports & Physical Activity Awards – November 26

Ed encouraged everyone to sign up for the Active Sussex newsletter to stay informed.

Coaching, Mental Health, and Workforce Development

Nick Chellel, the Workforce and Children and Young Person Safeguarding Lead at Active Sussex, delivered a comprehensive update on workforce development, including recruitment for the fourth Sussex Coach Core cohort, new online workshops from Street Games, a Play Their Way course focused on child‑first coaching, and CPD opportunities, including a March session with Jack Rolf from The Coaching Lab.

Nick also highlighted mental health resources and training options for coaches working with children and young people – an area of growing importance across the sector.

Safeguarding: New Resources and Free Training

Safeguarding remains a central focus. Nick shared a new video on preventing bullying, updated resources from Buddle and CPSU, a parent guide on questions to ask at their child’s sports club, and free workshops on safer internet use and neurodiversity in sport.

He encouraged partners to reach out to the Active Sussex Welfare Officers, Angela and Lauren, for local safeguarding support and to join the new Sport Welfare Facebook group.

School Engagement and Creating Active Schools

David Taylor, Active Sussex’s Schools Officer, rounded off the session with updates on school engagement, including a new resource on the Buddle website, highlighted the West Sussex PE Conference on March 13, and mentioned the Creating Active Schools programme, which is launching in Hastings this spring.

The next CYP Forum meeting will take place on Thursday, March 5, 10-11.30am.