Meet Active Sussex’s Head of Operations

In a weekly series, Active Sussex introduces its staff and trustees.

Anthony Statham is the Head of Operations and has worked at Active Sussex since November 2009.

Here we find out why he enjoys working for Active Sussex, what Anthony does in his spare time and where in the world he would like to visit.

Why do you enjoy working for Active Sussex?

The values and purpose of Active Sussex link intrinsically to my own. Authenticity is very important to me, and I passionately believe that as an organisation we work in an open, genuine way, trying our absolute best to make a difference.

If someone had said to me in the year 2000, when starting out as a newly qualified fitness instructor back in sunny Leicester, that I would be working in a senior role at an Active Partnership, or a County Sports Partnership as they were called at the time, I honestly wouldn’t have believed them.

It was hard to take in at the time that I was asked to interview for the role of Coaching Development Manager at Active Sussex back in 2009. To be then offered the role was genuinely a dream come true. I feel incredibly lucky, privileged and proud to have been part of such a fantastic team, a team that can take confidence that what we do makes a positive difference to people lives.

Working for Active Sussex means that whilst our purpose may not change, no single year is the same. There is always something to learn, partnerships to develop, a new project to deliver. Every day is a school day, a phase that captures why working for Active Sussex is so brilliant.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Well, to state the obvious, I enjoy eating. And to enjoy eating, it helps to have an interest in food, including where the food comes from and how a balanced diet can help keep you healthy and well. My partner and I enjoy a plant-based diet and we spend most of our spare time cooking up a storm of nutritious recipes in our kitchen or heading to the latest vegan hot spot in Brighton.

With a passion for food, it helps to have a passion for keeping active! I enjoy keeping myself active by going to the gym, playing cricket and walking our two rescue dogs Ozzy and Luther.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I don’t have a bucket list, however if I did then watching Test Match cricket around the world would be high on the list. Boxing Day in Melbourne, New Years Day in Cape Town, Kensington Oval in Barbados. One day…..