By: Clare Morley

“Following significant change for Rise over the last year or so (not to mention adapting to working through the Covid-19 pandemic!), we have taken a few months to look at where we are, how we got here and where we want to go as an organisation in order to further our mission.

“We listened to each other, our Board and many of our partners and stakeholders, as well as paying close attention to the developments of our main funder, Sport England, and their new strategy. So I’m now very proud that this week we’re publishing our new strategy, Rise Together, setting out our new vision, as well as the aims of what we want to see in ten years’ time over the lifecycle of this plan.

“There’s so much to be done if we are to improve the lives of the communities who need it the most in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear - it can feel daunting, and there are so many routes that we could go down. Our aims would be impossible to achieve if I thought it was down to just our team – albeit that they are all brilliant! But increasingly we feel part of a movement of other partners and people working across our region who care just as passionately about making a difference to people’s lives, and who see the value that physical activity, movement and sport can bring to their work.

“We don’t want Rise Together to be a ‘sit on the shelf’ strategy. Instead, it is our guiding roadmap, and we will regularly check in and adapt our work over the next ten years in order to ensure that what we’re doing remains relevant in driving us towards our vision.

“We’re so excited to embark on this next part of our journey, and are looking forward to working with partners, new and old, to really make a difference for and with our local communities. If any of what you see in Rise Together resonates with you, please do get in touch; as a well-known telecoms company often say: ‘It’s good to talk’.”

To read our Rise Together strategy for 2021-2031, and to watch our launch video, click here.