Draft Leisure Strategy consultation

For the past 6 months the Council has been developing a new Leisure Strategy for the Ards and North Down Borough. Online and in person consultation has been carried out which has shaped this Draft Leisure Strategy and Action Plan.

Getting Active, Staying Active will be led by the Council and will be delivered in partnership with a wide range of agencies, organisations and groups which share an interest in getting people to be more active in Ards and North Down. It’s good to keep in mind that Getting Active, Staying Active is part and parcel of the Council’s Corporate Plan 2024 to 2028 and its three overlapping priorities:

These priorities link one to the other and Getting Active, Staying Active makes an important contribution to each one. Active lifestyles benefit our physical and mental wellbeing, our community development and our economic development by helping us to be healthier and happier whatever our circumstances or age. Being active every day helps us and our communities to thrive, contributing to the Council’s vision of A Sustainable Borough.

The strategy will focus on four themes across the 10-year period. It’s an ever-present challenge to encourage and enable the inactive to be active and to encourage everyone to stay active. That’s why Getting Active, Staying Active is in place for 10 years, giving it every chance to deliver actions that make an appreciable difference in the lives of everyone living in Ards and North Down.

The strategy will be delivered in three stages with action plans and measurement for each of the four strategic themes. This approach allows a periodic assessment of the difference being made by the strategy’s implementation. It also allows successive action plans to take account of what has been achieved and to address new challenges. Monitoring and reporting of each stage will broadly follow this approach: