Active Sussex Conference brings partners together to champion movement, creativity and community-led change

More than 100 delegates met at the University of Sussex to explore bold, creative ideas shaped by community voices to help Sussex move more.

The Active Sussex Conference took place on Tuesday, September 29, with colleagues from councils, the NHS, education, CICs and sport organisations.

The day opened with an inspiring keynote from internationally recognised designer and placemaker Wayne Hemingway MBE, who shared examples from HemingwayDesign’s projects across the UK and beyond. 

His message centred on the power of disruption, experimentation and bold thinking.

Designing places that invite movement

Wayne’s keynote showcased how reimagining public spaces can transform how communities move, connect and spend time. 

One example was the decision to close Richmond’s main high street to traffic and create an active playground. 

Initially, local businesses feared footfall would drop, so the team trialled the idea for a single weekend.

By focusing the event on wheeled activities, such as skateboarding and cycling, alongside creative, hands-on experiences, the area quickly came alive.

“It was a success,” Wayne said. “People were making things, doing things, building things, skateboarding…” 

He added that the local Marks & Spencer had its ‘best ever day’ financially and now supports the initiative.

“We knew we were on the right track to make it work,” he said.

Other projects have seen HemingwayDesign create weekend events that became annual traditions, deliver the world’s largest ever play street, and transform concrete-dominated spaces into places where people want to spend time and money.

“It’s everybody bringing something to the party,” Wayne said. “You can make things really simple,” he noted, adding that one hugely successful event was simply a giant hay party for children.

Looking ahead: The National Festival of Play

Wayne also shared early details of the upcoming National Festival of Play, planned for June 2027 in Crawley in partnership with Creative Crawley.

He reflected on Crawley’s potential: “What is clear is that Crawley needs to do something with its place. It doesn’t feel the greatest place, considering its lovely cultural diversity and its position halfway between two amazing cities and next to employment, the scale of Gatwick.

“It should be thriving, and it is in Sussex by the downs, and yet it does not feel like any of that.”

He also highlighted Crawley’s heritage: “In 1958 the first adventure playground was built in Crawley – it was celebrated all around the UK as being an exemplar of play.

“With that history, we felt Crawley should host the national festival of play on the closest weekend to the International Day of Play.”

Delegates were then invited to consider how they could support the Crawley project and what ideas they could bring to Sussex inspired by Wayne’s examples.

Stronger for Life: Reconditioning through partnership

The second session focused on the Stronger for Life Reconditioning Project, which is reshaping hospital culture by embedding health instructors in clinical and community settings to help patients move more.

Karen Poole, from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, who has led the project alongside Active Sussex and 20/20 Health, as well as multiple organisations such as East Sussex County Council, highlighted its impact: 2,320 additional hours of patient activity delivered over two years at a cost of just £11,500.

“This is a simple and feasible model to do,” she said, emphasising that strong governance had “enabled innovation rather than preventing it.”

She added: “This project offers key principles for system change.”

Delegates were again asked to consider the biggest opportunities to use movement to prevent health care challenges from escalating, look at untapped assets, think creatively, and consider how a one workforce approach would work in their organisation.

Community-led accountability: Defiant Sports

The final session was led by Defiant Sports, a CIC based in Eastbourne that works across Sussex to break down barriers to participation in sport.

Founded in 2014 by Loretta Lock, the organisation began with a simple mission: finding an activity for her son, who has additional needs and disabilities.

Loretta said: “We have been community-led all the way through. We know there is a need, so we will find out what we need to do and do it.”

Over 12 years, this commitment has led to collaborations with Eastbourne Blind Society, accessible sports offers, team expansion, an inclusion hub, online content during Covid, HAF provision, coaching pathways and free wellbeing walks paced to the slowest walker.

Loretta added: “Every step we take is that collaboration and working with a community, working with other organisations, with people….and making sure we are integrated into a community.”

Defiant Sports also shared updates on their work running the tennis courts at Fisherman’s Green, delivering bespoke sessions in care homes, and developing the first fully accessible sports centre in Sussex.

The session included an interview with Defiant’s Coach Core apprentice Bobbie, followed by Catherine, a foster mum whose children attend Defiant sessions.

Catherine said: “We found a place where she was able to be herself. She should have an A* in masking, but she does not need to mask at Defiant.”

A day of shared learning, creativity and connection

Reflecting on the event, Ross Joannides, Strategic Relationship Manager at Active Sussex, said: “The Active Sussex Conference provided a valuable opportunity to bring together partners from across health, local government, the voluntary sector and communities to explore how we can collectively create the conditions for people to move more. 

“It was great to spend time with so many delegates exploring ways to be creative and innovate around active spaces that can support people to move in a way that works for them. 

“The conversations, learning and connections shared throughout the day reinforced the importance of collaboration and partnerships, something that we are all keen to develop further if we are to support people to live healthier through movement, physical activity and sport.”

The conference also supported sustainability efforts, with 21 pairs of trainers collected for the Wisborough Green-based company Jog On, helping to keep usable footwear out of landfill.