Babergh council's refreshed Leisure, Sport and Physical Activity Strategy has been given the go-ahead – enabling communities to be more active and improve their health and wellbeing.

Both councils adopted their original Leisure, Sport and Physical Activity (LSPA) Strategy in 2017 following a review of the leisure services, facilities and partnerships in the districts.

Since then, there has been substantial progress in the delivery of sports facilities across Babergh. This includes a multi-million pound investment in the refurbishment of Sudbury's Kingfisher Leisure Centre, £2.4m of funding to modernise swimming facilities at Hadleigh Pool.

However, in recognition of the changing needs of the districts' residents – and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 – the strategy has recently been reviewed and refreshed by the councils, with proposed changes receiving unanimous approval at cabinet meetings earlier this month. This will ensure that the strategy remains relevant and enable increased participation in sport and physical activity, particularly from less active people experiencing greater health inequalities.

The updated strategy sets out the proposed new strategic outcomes – active people, active places and spaces, and active partnerships – objectives and high-level actions for the future delivery of leisure, sport and physical activity services across the districts.

Following on from the priority actions identified in the strategy, a comprehensive action plan is currently in development, with plans for this to be published later this year.

Undertaking collaborative work and significant stakeholder engagement to revise the strategy has been key, with 11 national sporting governing bodies and 44 organisations such as Active Suffolk, voluntary groups, schools, town and parish councils and the clinical commissioning groups for Suffolk involved to enable a holistic approach.

There has also been an update to the strategy's accompanying evidence base and as part of this extensive research was carried out, in addition to an independent audit of Babergh's sport and leisure provisions to help maximise the district's current assets for its communities.

The audit found that the majority of parishes have at least one community building which is, or could be, used for formal and informal physical activity, with many village halls and community buildings already hosting Fit Villages and yoga, fitness or dance classes.

Babergh also benefits from a good supply of outdoor pitches and tennis courts, however it's acknowledged that some of these require upgrading and this has been addressed in the Priority Infrastructure Projects outlined in the strategy.

Cllr Derek Davis, Babergh District Council cabinet member for communities said: "It's great news that we continue to prioritise sport and leisure in the district at a time when health and wellbeing has never been so important.

"I am also pleased that the updated strategy has highlighted so many positives – including our council recently investing almost £5m to improve some of Babergh's leisure centres and swimming pools – and we must now build upon these strengths and deliver our strategic outcomes.

"I'd like to thank our partners for their input on the strategy – providing invaluable feedback and allowing us to take a holistic approach in recognition that we all have a part to play in encouraging our communities to be more active and achieve a better quality of life."

Finishing touches completed at Hadleigh pool.