We Are Recruiting!
January 20, 2026
Active Cumbria Secures Sport England Place Funding to Expand Local Impact
We are delighted to announce that new investment has been secured from Sport England through the Place Expansion and Place Universal Offer work strands, supporting the continued growth of Let’s Move! and strengthening place-based working across Cumbria.
- Increasing activity, so that more people feel the benefit of being active on a regular basis.
- Decreasing inactivity, helping more people to start and maintain a relationship with activity.
- Tackling inequality, removing the barriers that prevent people from being active.
- Providing positive experiences for children and young people, so that lifelong activity habits can be formed.
This investment represents a significant milestone for Active Cumbria and the wider local system, strengthening long-term commitment to tackling inequalities in physical activity and supporting communities where being active can have the greatest impact on health, wellbeing and social outcomes.
Strengthening Place-Based Approaches
The funding will support the continued delivery and expansion of place-based working, a core approach that focuses on understanding and responding to the unique needs, assets and priorities of local communities.
Through Place Expansion, we will seek to deepen and extend our work into the targeted areas around Maryport, Workington, and Whitehaven in West Cumberland, building stronger partnerships and embedding physical activity into everyday life, enabling people to be active in ways that matter most to them. Alongside this, the Place Universal Offer funding will focus on Barrow-in-Furness, and will build on the learning and development of the Let’s Move! work so far.
Together, these strands of funding will help us work more closely with local partners, communities, and residents to create the conditions that support long-term, sustainable change.
Investment in People: New Job Roles Created
A key outcome of this funding is the creation of new roles, strengthening organisational capacity, local delivery and supporting the sector. These roles will play a vital part in:
- Supporting place-based partnerships
- Strengthening collaboration across sectors
- Ensuring learning and insight informs future investment and practice
- Telling the story
Two new roles are now live, with opportunities for individuals who are passionate about community development, collaboration and tackling inequalities through physical activity and movement.
Development Officers x2
1 role based in West Cumberland and 1 role based in Barrow-in-Furness
As a Development Officer you will cultivate strong, effective relationships with local partners, building capacity, enhancing networks, and sharing insight across communities. You will drive system change within the identified areas by bringing partners together and facilitating local networks, initiatives, and programmes that help more people become active. The post holder will also support the design and implementation of meaningful and robust evaluation and learning approaches to ensure continual improvement and impact.
Follow the links below for more information and to apply. Informal enquiries are welcome - please contact Cameron Wilson - Development Manager by e-mail to cameron.wilson@cumberland.gov.uk or call 07423 797081. Closing date: 8 February 2026 (please note the application window may be closed early if we receive a high volume of applications)
Looking Ahead
This funding reinforces our commitment to working differently, putting communities at the heart of decision making and focusing on long term system change rather than short term programmes.
By growing internal capacity and strengthening place-based partnerships, we aim to support more people to move more, in ways that work for them, helping to reduce inactivity and promote opportunities to be physically active.
Find Out More About Let's Move! Our Place-Based Work in Cumbria