The programme combines theoretical Physical Activity Clinical Champions training (PACC) for Medical Undergraduates, alongside community-based shadowing opportunities. 

The Community Engagement Award highlights university institutions that aim to develop individuals through community led projects, utilising a holistic approach. 

The judging panel described the initiative as “a superb, well-evidenced partnership” with strong social impact. They also highlighted the benefits of combining academic learning with subsequent meaningful community engagement, particularly focusing on marginalized community groups. 

The partnership between Rise and Newcastle University has consistently demonstrated strong, positive outcomes over the duration of the project, with over 1,100 students benefiting so far.  

Adam Brougham, Rise Strategic Director, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition alongside our partners at Newcastle University. This project was codesigned on the belief that physical activity should be inclusive and community-led, bridging the gap between clinical expertise and community patient engagement. This award reflects the strength of the partnership between Rise and Newcastle University and demonstrates what can be achieved through meaningful collaborative working.” 

Dr Scott Walker, MBBS Rise Project Lead and Head of Year 1 Medicine at Newcastle University Medical School, said, “Community-PACC is about developing good citizens, as well as good doctors. This recognition reflects the passion of our students, colleagues, and community partners who are working together to strengthen lifestyle medicine education and contribute to a healthier future for our region. By allowing pre-clinical students to see patients as people in their social context and understand the communities in which they serve, we are driving long-term progress for health outcomes across the North East.” 

Looking further ahead, our ambitions are to: 

•  integrate PACC training as part of the core curriculum for all universities across the North East Combined Authority footprint 

• to support the formation of a North East Physical Activity and Learning Community of Practice 

• broaden our student shadowing offer to include access to a wider selection of VCSE wellbeing services. 

For more about the whole approach, please click here. 

PACC is an initiative funded by Sport England and run by a consortium consisting of The Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield, Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK and Intelligent Health.  

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The post Success for Rise and Newcastle University Partnership at the 2026 Educate North Awards  appeared first on Rise North East.

These figures are particularly worrying, and tell a broader story about our region when combined with data released earlier this year indicating that the North East has had the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth in every period since records began. 

The survey seeks to capture the levels of physical activity and inactivity across England. The survey defines  

• ‘active’ as doing at least 150 minutes a week 

• ‘fairly active’ as doing 30-149 minutes a week  

• ‘inactive’ as doing fewer than 30 minutes a week  

These definitions stem from the UK Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for adults, recommending 150 minutes or more of moderate intensity equivalent a week.  

Whilst inactivity rates across our region are varied, they are higher in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham than England, being lower only in Northumberland.  

Positively, since 2015 physical inactivity rates have decreased in Northumberland and South Tyneside. Additionally, Newcastle and Northumberland have a higher proportion of active adults than the national average for England. 

Whilst there are some positives in the recently published results, there is significant scope to reduce inactivity levels further. We are passionate about the transformative role that movement can play in making a difference to the communities that need it most. Our work within communities and in collaboration with regional partners including local authorities, NECA, schools, colleges and universities aims to create a healthier region for everyone through the power of movement. 

Find out more

To learn more about our strategy to transform lives, communities and places through the power of movement, read our latest strategy.

If you’d like to collaborate or work with us to help bring change to our communities, please get in touch.  

Can you help us?

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The post North East Inactivity rates remain above national average  appeared first on Rise North East.

Read on if you want to snap up one of 2027’s hottest tickets.

Why run for Rise?

We’re a health and wellbeing charity – and we’re passionate about the role that physical activity can play in making a difference to the communities in the North East that need it most.

What you’ll get from us:

• A welcome pack with training advice and fundraising tips to help smash your goals
• Rise running top and iron-on letters for your name
• Regular check ins to keep you updated and motivated

What happens next

This isn’t a competition, and depending on the amount of interest that we receive we’ll select who gets the places. We’ll be in touch in summer about whether or not you’ve been successful.

We won’t provide expenses such as travel or accommodation.

Good luck, and we hope to see you at the London Marathon!

The post Run the 2027 London Marathon for Rise appeared first on Rise North East.

Today’s shocking statistics show that amount of time is falling, and the gap between the North East and rest of England is growing. People and communities across the North East simply do not have the economic or social conditions necessary to live longer healthy and fulfilled lives. 
 
The harrowing inequalities within England and especially within our region have come about over decades of social decline. The salient reality of this is laid bare in a line from the Office for National Statistics.

The North East has had the lowest health life expectancy at birth in every period” since their time series began.

We know that movement can play a powerful role in fostering healthy and prosperous communities. A healthier population enables people to be present for those precious moments later in life, it enables people to work and flourish. It places less strain on the NHS, it’s good for individuals and it’s good for our region.  

Moving more can mean whatever you want it to. Take the stairs instead of the lift, walk or wheel to the shops, join a class or a club.  

Sadly, it’s not always as easy as it could be for people to do this, especially in communities experiencing hardship or deprivation. That’s why we’re calling for partners to do more to make it easy for people to be more active – local authorities, education, health, employers all have a part to play, and we all need to come together.  

There are differences in healthy life expectancy statistics at a local level, and local communities are best placed to determine what they need. At Rise, we’re working with fantastic groups across the region to find out and implement what works for them. 

From the way our streets are designed, to how we prescribe movement before drugs, to the way we prepare children for life in the best way, physical activity can be an empowering force for change.  

If we can create a community that moves, we’ll give people in every part of the North East the healthy, happy future they deserve. 

Find out more

Read our strategy to see how we transform lives, communities and places through the power of movement. Or take a look at our latest impact report to see the difference we make.   

If you’d like to collaborate and help us catalyse change, or just want a chat, get in touch.   

Can you help us?

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support.    

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.   

The post Healthy life expectancy is falling in the North East – why is our region consistently left behind? appeared first on Rise North East.

• The ‘Goldilocks zone’: Stimulation in the learning environment and getting it ‘just right’ for children led by Dr Gemma Goldenberg. 

• Anti Racism and Inclusion within Early Years Education led by Amjid Khazir, Director – Media Cultured. 

• Growing Communication: Making the Most of Nature for Early Language Learning led by Katherine Elder of Nature Makers and Kendra McWilliam of The Wildside – learning through nature CIC. 
   

Can you help us?     

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support.     

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The post Rise Early Years Conference sold out for the fourth year!   appeared first on Rise North East.

Positives
 

• North Tyneside and Northumberland have lower rates of less active children than is the case nationally. 
  
• In Gateshead, North Tyneside and Sunderland the rates of less active children have trended downwards between 2017 and 2025.   
  
• A greater portion of children are ‘active’ in North Tyneside, Northumberland and Sunderland than nationally in 2024-25 

Challenges
 

• Rates of less active children are higher in Gateshead, Newcastle, South Tyneside and Sunderland than nationally.  
  
• The number of less active children have trended upwards in Newcastle, Northumberland and South Tyneside between 2017-2025. 

Read our in-depth analysis of data from the Children & Young People’s Active Lives Survey 2024-25.    
 
We’re passionate about the transformative role that movement can play in making a difference to the communities that need it most, including young people. Our place-based work in areas across the region will enable us to target areas where children are relatively less active.  
 
Our recently refreshed strategy is designed to help build on the positive progress already made, enabling our region to rise together. 

If you’d like to collaborate and help us catalyse change, or just want a chat, get in  
touch.   

 
Can you help us?    

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support.    

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.   

The post Latest Active Lives Survey Results appeared first on Rise North East.

We’re on a mission to transform lives, communities, and places through the power of movement. Across the North East of England, many communities face deep-rooted health, social, economic and environmental inequalities. We’re passionate about the difference movement can make in helping people feel healthier, more connected and more confident at every stage of life.

All the donations raised by the runners will go back into that mission, supporting our work with the communities that need it most. Find out more about our work.

Meet the runners

Charlotte Davis

“Hi, I’m Charlotte and I’m excited to run the London Marathon next year with Rise as my first ever marathon! After getting into running as a hobby a couple of years ago, I’ve done a few half marathons, and decided it’s time to take on the full thing.

“I’m running for Rise because I’ve seen in my own life how getting active can not only make you feel better physically, but also be a great way to socialise, improve your self-confidence and boost your mental health. I also work for a running events company, and work with countless charities that inspire people to take up running. Through this work, I continuously see how running and exercise can change people’s lives, both those who are supported by the charities, and those who fundraise for them, as they form connections with others and start to believe in themselves to complete a challenge!

“My favourite race I’ve done is always the Great North Run, the support is just amazing with everyone in the city coming out to cheer people on, and there’s so many first timers, PBs, inspiring stories and great causes to really make you feel like you’re part of something special. The whole event really shows people that anyone can take part, and you can have great fun while doing it!

“I haven’t started training yet, as I’m travelling around Asia for a couple months before Christmas, but being away and only managing to fit in some easy jogs while country-hopping has really got me excited to hit the ground running (literally) in the new year!”

Chris Soley

“Hi, my name is Chris and I’m running the London Marathon in Aprill 2026 to raise money for Rise.

“I didn’t start running until my late 30s, inspired by my eldest son, who was only 10 at the time, and wanted his dad to help him train for his triathlons. I remember making an excuse that my laces had come undone so I could get my breath back and thinking to myself that I need to seriously get myself into shape.

“Since then, I’ve got the “bug” and run a few marathons, eight in total if you include five Swaledale Marathons, which are technically only 24.5 miles but very, very hilly! I also completed my first 100k ultra last year, running (and some walking) the Jurassic Coast alongside an old university friend.

“My greatest marathon achievement was running the York Marathon when I had just turned 40 and managed to squeeze sub 3.30. 3 hours, 29 minutes and 58 seconds to be exact! I don’t think I’ll be breaking this time again as I’ve just turned 50 this year!

“In 2022 I completed my only London Marathon, this was the year when it was run in the October following the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a an absolutely magical event being so well supported all the way. I’m really looking forward to completing it again, this time joined by my Wife Cerian. Cerian has never run a 5k, let alone a marathon, so I’m also supporting her in achieving her own London marathon goal.

“Early training has started for us both and we are up to eight miles together so far. I also ran the London Royal Parks Half marathon in October this year, so I’ve got a bit of a head start! Full training will start in the New Year in earnest!

“I’m running for Rise as it’s so important for peoples mental and physical wellbeing to get up and get moving. The Rise charity is a wonderful organisation that supports people of all ages in communities that need the support most to get moving and make a real difference in their lives.”

Emma McGurrell

“Hi, I’m Emma, and I’m incredibly excited to be taking on the London Marathon again this year. I’ve completed three marathons already — two London Marathons in person and one virtual in 2020, which I ran around Gateshead.

“I’ll always be especially proud of my very first marathon in 2015, which I signed up for from my hospital bed after suffering a miscarriage. Training for and running that marathon had such a profound, positive impact on my life that in 2016 we welcomed our miracle baby girl, Anaelle, into the world. I ran that first marathon for Tommy’s, the baby charity, alongside my husband. I had just three months to train, and I genuinely loved every minute of it. The only downside was that I forgot to look at Buckingham Palace as I finished… so of course, I had to do another one!

“I chose to run for Rise because I deeply admire their work and the impact they make. Their mission aligns closely with my own values and the work I do, and supporting a charity making such a powerful difference in the North East felt like an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up.

“Training is already underway. My plan is to build a strong fitness base between now and Christmas, then move into a full marathon training programme in January. I’m genuinely excited to take on the London Marathon again, and I’m hugely grateful to Rise for giving me this opportunity.”

Andy Clark

“Having completed the London Marathon twice before, in 2003 and 2006, both with times just over four hours, I’m thrilled to return for another challenge. Running this iconic event has always been a personal milestone, and over the years I’ve continued to push my limits, including completing a Half Ironman in Oman. These experiences have strengthened my passion for endurance sports and the importance of resilience, both physically and mentally.

“I currently manage the OakLeaf Sports Complex for Great Aycliffe Town Council, where I’m committed to promoting health, fitness, and community wellbeing. Before this, I served in the British Army as part of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC), where I developed a deep understanding of physical training and mental resilience.

“This year, I’m proud to run for Rise, a charity that truly aligns with my values: improving mental and physical health and wellbeing, enhancing child development and education, creating healthy and sustainable places to live and work, supporting the NHS in managing and preventing a range of conditions, and nourishing the health and wellbeing of the workforce.

“Training is going really well – I’m just about to complete a Garmin Connect Half Marathon programme before moving on to the full marathon plan. If you’d like to follow my progress, you can check out my updates on Instagram: Follow me here.

 Every mile I run is in support of these vital goals, and I’m committed to making a positive impact in our communities.”

Find out more

Read our strategy for the full picture or take a look at our latest impact report to see the difference we make. 

If you’d like to collaborate and help us catalyse change, or just want a chat, get in touch. 

Can you help us?  

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support.  

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

The post Meet the team running for Rise in the 2026 London Marathon appeared first on Rise North East.

When I first came into what was then Tyne & Wear Sport with the mandate to bring it together with Northumberland Sport, we were looking at a combined workforce of 16 people, a relationship that was still developing with our main funder, and a frustration that we weren’t really making a sustainable difference for our communities.  

I’m immensely proud that we’re now a regional employer of 45 people, a trusted partner of Sport England and are constantly innovating to support our most disadvantaged communities through systemic working. The shift that we have made in the last six years – together as a team – to deliver the breadth and depth of expertise that we now offer is, in my view, truly remarkable.  

A refreshed strategy to meet new realities  

That’s the background to our refreshed strategy, which I’m proud to be sharing today.  

A lot has changed since we launched our Rise Together strategy in 2021, including in 2024 a new Labour government and the introduction of the North East Combined Authority (NECA), and earlier this year the transfer of County Durham Sport into Rise to create a single active partnership for the NECA region. We’ve now updated our strategy so that it better reflects these and other changes, so that we support our communities and partners in the best way possible. 

From those in our team who were here before I arrived through to our most recent recruits, I strongly believe that we now have an amazing staff team for the active partnership in our region, so a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed over the last six years to our collective success. 

Find out more  

Read our strategy for the full picture or take a look at our latest impact report to see the difference we make.  

If you’d like to collaborate and help us catalyse change, or just want a chat, get in touch.  

Can you help us?   

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support.   

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

The post Refreshing our strategy to help the region Rise Together  appeared first on Rise North East.

Newcastle is among the 27 places set to benefit from a share of Sport England’s £250 million investment into the heart of communities across England, designed to tackle inactivity and inequalities by making sport, physical activity and movement accessible for everyone.   Rise will also support partners to deliver similar work in Sunderland and County Durham. 

Tackling stubborn inequalities

Sport England research calculates that active lifestyles save £8 billion a year for the healthcare system through illness prevention. This relieves some of the NHS burden, preventing more than 3.3 million cases of chronic health conditions a year – including 1.3m cases of depression, 900,000 cases of back pain and 700,000 cases of type 2 diabetes. 

Less than half of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for daily physical activity and women, people from lower socio-economic groups and Black and Asian people are still less likely to be active than other adults.  

To tackle these stubborn inequalities and break down barriers to a more active life, Sport England is taking a ‘Place-based approach’ – partnering with local organisations and leaders who understand both the specific needs of their communities and the local assets that are available – to support people to play sport and get active.  

• Data from the most recent Active Lives survey shows that 25.7% of adults in Newcastle are inactive, with many in Newcastle having physical inactivity levels above 30% for adults.  
  
  
• Alongside the adult data, 38.9% of children are classed as less active. 
  
  
• Healthy life expectancy for males and females is three years lower than the England average at 58.6 and 59.5 years, respectively.  
  
  
• 67% of adults (3% higher than the England average) and 41.4% of children (Year 6) are classed as overweight or obese, predicting future pressures and poor health outcomes. 

Building on foundations

The funding will build on previous work in Newcastle around the Core Cities programme, Sector Led Improvement work and This Girl Can, as well as aligning with ongoing work such as Playzones, the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) funded Trailblazer Neighbourhood (Walker), Destination Parks, and supporting the newly developed Physical Activity Strategy for the city.

Jade Scott, Strategic Lead for Place at Rise, said: 

“Unfortunately, data shows that people in Newcastle are less active, less healthy and die earlier than people in other parts of the country. Movement and physical activity can play a big part in fixing that, improving lives and communities, and boosting the economy. Local communities know what they need to thrive and this funding gives them a voice and puts them in control of their future. It builds on the great work going on in the city and across the region.”  

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director for Place, said: 

“We want everyone, no matter where they live or who they are, to have the chance to be active and healthy. To do this, we’re focusing on places, towns, cities, and communities, where people face the biggest challenges. We are proud to announce a further 27 new Sport England place partnerships, in every corner of the country, bringing the total number of places we are working with to more than 90. We are committed to working with local partners and communities to break down the barriers to physical activity so that everyone has equal access to a more active life. We are excited to see what we can achieve together in Newcastle.”  

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The post Rise partners with Sport England to get more people active in Newcastle   appeared first on Rise North East.

That’s an old quote from the UK’s chief medical officers, but it still applies today. Physical activity and movement can improve health at every stage of life, make children better prepared to learn and more people able to work. This reduces the strain on the NHS and boosts the economy.

And more than that, it can build connections and communities and bring people together.  

Move and be physically active however works for you

Moving more doesn’t mean being an Olympian, a Lioness or a Red Rose, it means being physically active in whatever way works best for you. However that looks, we’re here to help.

For 25 years we’ve been supporting partners and communities in the North East get more active. Through collaboration, each year we learn more about the challenges facing people and how to catalyse the changes needed to overcome them.

Here’s just some of what we achieved last year

• We’ve given hundreds of medical students training within their first semester to improve shared knowledge and understanding and provide first-hand experience of physical activity prescription.
• In collaboration with primary care colleagues, we’ve successfully embedded a sustainable, activity-based, proactive solution into their practice. Our new activity and wellbeing coach sits within the multi-disciplinary team.
• Our work with communities and local partners to understand and address specific local issues has gone from strength to strength across all our place-based working from Berwick to South Tyneside to Gateshead and Newcastle.
• Our targeted programmes have reached thousands of children to improve physical activity, school readiness and support academic and health outcomes – focusing on breaking down barriers for children, young people, families and practitioners to reduce inequalities for our most underserved communities.
• Delivering targeted inclusive, needs-led physical activity opportunities designed to meet the needs of children, young people and families, we distributed over £1million in the final year of our Opening School Facilities funding cycle, bringing the total to 87 schools support and exceeding our target.
• As a leader, advocate and catalyst, we give guidance in planning, community engagement and delivery oversight and we’ve co-ordinated the convening of regional PlayZone leads to align strategy, share insight, and strengthen consistency across implementation.
• Within everything we do, we gather and share evidence, insight and community voice around what works, and what doesn’t, to help the organisation and our partners to understand how to use physical activity to meet their objectives.

Find out more

Read our impact report for the full story.

If you’d like to collaborate and help us catalyse change, or just want a chat, get in touch.

Can you help us?

Following us on social media and sharing our posts and newsletter helps us reach more people who need our support. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The post Celebrating our impact: the story of 2024/25 appeared first on Rise North East.