Today, Active Lincolnshire, Active Together and Active Humber release the results of a 5-month study into the Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure Sector of Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland. The research conducted by Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) found that the sector has a combined Gross Value Added (GVA) of approximately £788 million, which could grow to £804 million over the next 4 quarters if current productivity trends are maintained.

A substantial amount of this value comes from small providers including charitable organisations and community interest companies. With over 1,200 companies in Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland providing services. The voluntary organisations are an essential, valuable, but rarely discussed aspect of the sector, with a further 1,218 charities, trusts and CICs providing support in sport, physical activity and leisure with a combined reported income of £330 million, and an additional £3 million coming from 19 societies, mutuals and co-operatives.

Approximately 28,000 people are employed in the sector, and the report explores the significant demand for skills development across paid and voluntary roles, digging into the factors behind the current skills gap across the sector and the systemic changes required to address this issue.

Finally, the research also reports on current and future demographic trends across the region that will focus the training, skills development and future provision offer of the sector, alongside exploring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and covid-19 pandemic on the sport, physical activity and leisure sector.

Despite the tremendous economic and social potential of the physical activity, leisure and sport sector, it is faced with many significant and overlapping challenges and the report puts forward several recommendations to address these systemic challenges and increase the size, representation, skills, and resilience of the sector making it better able to tackle inequalities and serve the growing and ageing population of the region in the long-term.

Over the coming weeks and months, the three Active Partnerships will release further information from the reports to explore the recommendations in greater detail and work with partners to bring about the changes needed to ensure the Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure Sector of Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland can thrive and meet the future population needs.

Emma Tatlow, Chief Executive Officer, Active Lincolnshire:

“This report shows the huge part sport, physical activity and leisure has to play on the economic prosperity of Lincolnshire. We’ve known the transformational power of the sector on physical and mental health, individual and community development for a long time, but the sector often goes unrecognised for its role in stimulating local economic growth and wealth.

With such a large, rural and coastal region we rely heavily on small and hyper-local providers, including organisations where physical activity is a minor part of their service provision. These organisations are able to be flexible in ways larger organisations cannot and offer great value for money. However, the report shows that not only is support for these groups and their workforce vital but it is often non-existent as small providers are locked out of funding calls and nonfinancial support.

We look forward to working with our partners, including those from the economic, business, employment and skills sectors to address the challenges raised and create a stronger, even more prosperous and valuable sport, physical activity and leisure sector.”

Ali Clements, Economy and Sport Manager, Active Together:

“The collaboration between the Active Partnerships has already got us to this point on our journey. The breadth of this work provides a great platform for not just our existing partners, but a growing network, to come together to join us all as we fully digest the learning and prepare to embed these recommendations in Rutland and collectively across the Greater Lincolnshire area.”

David Gent, Chief Executive Officer, Active Humber:

"Active Humber is looking forward to working with Active Lincolnshire, Active Together and all our Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure Sector partners particularly in the North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire areas over the coming weeks and months, to implement the recommendations in greater detail to bring about the changes needed to ensure the Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure Sector of Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland can thrive and meet the future population needs. We believe to have a physically active population it is vital there is a thriving sport, physical activity, and leisure sector."

You can read the executive summary and full report by following the links below:

Executive Summary

Full Report