18th May 2026
Winners from the awards ceremony. Picture by Roy Sharma
Project showing the power of collaboration between the health service and physical activity wins award
A combined project between Active Sussex, hospital trusts, and health instructors has won a national award.
The Stronger for Life Reconditioning Project, previously known as the Active Sussex Reconditioning Project, received the President’s Award at the Innovation and Best Practice Awards Ceremony organised by the Community Hospitals Association.
The project is a collaboration between the Bexhill Irvine Unit, part of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, alongside 20/20 Health and Active Sussex.
It sees health instructors come into the hospital to run twice-weekly group exercise classes to help slow down deconditioning among patients, many of whom have had strokes.
The second phase of the project has seen these classes live-streamed into other hospitals across multiple hospital trusts in Sussex.
Julia Fairhall, Chair of the Innovations and best practice awards, said: “Your project truly impressed the judges — it was exemplary in supporting and improving patient care and demonstrated excellent collaborative working.”
The award ceremony on Thursday, May 7, in Swindon, saw more than 100 people attend, with categories ranging from Green Initiative; Quality Improvement in Community Hospitals; and Integration and Continuity of Care, to Person-Centred Care; and Innovative Technology in Community Hospitals.
Ross Joannides, Strategic Relationship Manager for Health at Active Sussex, said: “Receiving the President’s Award at the Innovation and Best Practice Awards Ceremony was an incredibly proud moment.
“It was especially meaningful to have the work recognised in this way, reflecting the value of co-design, innovation, and a shared commitment to improving outcomes for communities.
“The award was recognition of the collective effort and partnerships that continue to drive positive change across health, care, and physical activity sectors.”
The award ceremony was also held alongside a two-day conference on Thursday and Friday that brought together the workforce across health, care and community.
He added: “Attending the Community Hospitals Association Conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues across health, care, and community sectors who are all working towards improving wellbeing and reducing health inequalities.
“The conference provided valuable insight and meaningful conversations about the role physical activity can play in prevention, rehabilitation, and supporting healthier communities.
“It was especially inspiring to be in the room with so many people who are passionate about thinking creatively and innovatively to achieve the best possible outcomes for the people they are supporting on a day-to-day basis.
“It was a real example of how we can all work more collaboratively to ensure we have connected systems of care.”
This week, it was announced that the #DoItForJosh charity in Hastings is fundraising to help the project continue into the future.
