Active Suffolk

11/06/2026

🗞️ We’ve got news! 🗞️

Today, we want to give a HUGE shoutout to the incredible Hamish, and his coach Callum.

If you've been following us for some time then you'll know that we've previously been super proud to have been able to celebrate Callum's journey as thisabilitycoach at the Active Suffolk Awards. If you're not already following Callum's work then we highly recommend doing so - just search for 'thisabilitycoach' on Instagram! 😁

However, today we wanted to celebrate Hamish - one of Callum's incredible clients. And because nobody knows the journey to get to this monumental moment of feeling confident and able to stand for his sister's graduation than himself and Callum, here is their journey to get there, in their words.

"Hamish came to me with one thing on his mind: confidence. He didn't want his disability to define him. He'd heard enough of what he supposedly couldn't do, and he was done with it. He wanted to prove people wrong, but honestly, more than that, he wanted to prove it to himself. That he could do anything he set his mind to.

When I first met him, he couldn't stand up by himself.

That's not a starting point most people think about when they picture a fitness journey. We weren't talking about PBs or programmes. We were starting from scratch, relearning how to trust his body. Months of it. Walking. Standing. The stuff that gets taken for granted. Slow, unglamorous, necessary work.

It wasn't linear either. I want to be honest about that. There were really hard moments between us, failed attempts, setbacks that felt significant, days where the goal felt genuinely out of reach. But Hamish never used any of it as an excuse. He just came back. Every time. He worked harder.

That's not something you can give to someone as a coach. That's just who he is.

My approach with Hamish was always to empower him, never to remind him of his diagnosis. I never wanted him to walk into a session and feel like a patient. Every session was fun, different, engaging, challenging. We kept finding that boundary where success lives, that edge where it's hard enough to matter but achievable enough to build belief. We pushed it, together, every single time. With cerebral palsy it's never straightforward. You're not just training muscle, you're working with neurological patterns, finding what the body will allow on any given day, and celebrating the wins that don't always look like wins from the outside. But we found them. Every week we found them.

All of it, every rep, every session, every setback we climbed back from, was pointing toward one thing. We were working as hard as we could to get him ready to create a photo with his family for life. To stand at his sister's graduation.

When the day came and he stood tall with a smile on his face. He did it!

It is the greatest honour of this job, watching someone decide they're capable of something, then going and doing it. I feel so lucky to be in a position where I get to help people build memories like this. For Hamish and for everyone who loves him."

Now, if that's not a gorgeous piece of inspiration for a Tuesday then we don't know what is. Huge thank you to Hamish and Callum for allowing us to share in the joy of this incredible achievement (and congratulations to Hamish's sister too!) 🎉

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🤔 Have you got good news? We'd love to hear it!

Submit to our deposit box by following this link - https://www.activesuffolk.org/forms/view/3977

10/06/2026

📣 Hey Sudbury!

Have you heard about the FREE Move More Outdoors sessions coming to Belle Vue Park this summer? 🌳☀️

Whether you’re looking to improve your fitness, boost your mood or meet new people, Move More Outdoors is here with TWO fun and friendly sessions every Tuesday!

✨ Bootcamp: 14:00 – 14:45
✨ Pilates: 15:00 – 15:45

These sessions are open to everyone, no matter your experience or fitness level. So why not come along and enjoy getting active in the fresh air?

Book your place 👉 www.abbeycroft.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing/move-more-outdoors/ or via the Abbeycroft app.

Abbeycroft Leisure
Babergh District Council
Mid Suffolk District Council

10/06/2026

As an organisation committed to being anti-racist, we want to share an exciting new learning offer with you all! Teaming up with Tonia Wilson from Aspire Black Suffolk CIC and Aseya, we're excited to get this 3-part online learning series underway!

Throughout the series of workshops, we will be exploring how to create inclusive spaces for physical activity and sport, how our practices can support this and how to continually embed this inclusivity across our collective organisations' cultures.

1️⃣ Part 1 is all about finding our 'what' - looking at what drives our organisations forward and what the journey to becoming anti-racist might look like.

Register to join us for part 1 at the link below;
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/anti-racism-series-part-1-our-what-tickets-1990803317313?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

09/06/2026

🤚Hands up if you saw our post yesterday!

If you did then you'll remember just how important it is to us that our work in Tackling Inequalities is as easy to understand and access as possible.

As part of this, we've also been reflecting on two of our forums that we run to support us to understand what our community values in physical activity and sport, what the barriers are to accessing opportunities and also how we can make physical activity and sport safer.

Previously these have been run separately as our 'Community Voice Forum' and our 'Safer Sport Forum'. One was aimed at engaging any individual living in Suffolk who wanted to share their lived experience around physical activity and sport to make it safer. While the other was aimed at professionals or organisations who wanted to make physical activity and sport safer.

We thought about this and came to the overarching question; why do we not combine the two? Bring the individuals who have lived experience that they want to share/are using the services of physical activity and community organisations into the same space as those that are running those organisations. What better way to have the voices of our community directly help positively change the services that are provided!

So from now on, instead of both forums - we have one brand new forum called the 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦. We're excited to see as many lovely faces from across the county wanting to help use their voice to shape more inclusive, accessible and safe physical activity and sport for Suffolk.

Come along and join us by confirming your attendance at our next meet-up (Fri 26th June, 9.30am - 3.30pm at The Hold, Ipswich) at the link below;
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tackling-inequalities-forum-tickets-1991053569825?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/06/2026

💡 At Active Suffolk, we like to take the approach that everything is a journey and we can always stand to learn more - whatever helps us to better support our communities across Suffolk.

As part of this learning journey, we've been reflecting on the way we talk about our commitment to tackling the inequalities that exist within physical activity and sport participation.

Previously, you may have seen us using the following terms;
- EDI which stands for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- DIAP which stands for our Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (a live document that sets out our aims for continuing to embed, foster and advocate for greater equity, diversity and inclusion within our work and provides context about the actions we take to do this alongside a space to reflect on what the effect of this work has been).

However, recently we've been wondering whether in using this kind of language and acronyms, we may have without realising, been making this work feel less understandable or accessible to others. Being an organisation that wants to reach as many individuals, communities and organisations as possible - we definitely don't want to make what we do tricky to understand.

That's why from now on, you won't see mentions of 'EDI' or our 'DIAP' - instead, when we are talking about our work in this area, we will simply be talking about our work to 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. We think that this better reflects the active stance that we that we are continually taking to the work that we are doing and is easier to understand 😊

Want to know more about how you can join us in Tackling Inequalities? Stay tuned! 📻

08/06/2026

Did you know it’s Bike Week? 🚲

It’s the perfect time to get some fresh air, explore your local area and enjoy cycling in a way that works for you. Whether it’s swapping a short car journey for a bike ride or heading out on a family adventure to somewhere new, every ride counts!

📣 In celebration of the week, we’re shining a spotlight on the Bike Fix sessions delivered in Lakenheath, in partnership with the Active Travel team at Suffolk County Council and The Way To Go Suffolk.

Part of our test and learn phase, all three sessions were well attended and provided a fantastic opportunity for the team to chat with the community about local cycling opportunities.

Following their success, our Active Lakenheath team hopes to bring even more cycling opportunities to the community, including group-led cycle rides, accessible cycling and Bikeability sessions! 🙌

💭 If you’re getting involved this Bike Week, remember to stay safe – plan your route, wear a helmet and stay bright when riding at night.

05/06/2026

04/06/2026

Today we want to shout about the incredible coaches and athletes at Special Olympics Suffolk, as they prepare to take part in this year’s National Summer Games, hosted by Special Olympics Great Britain 🙌☀️

Special Olympics Suffolk (SO Suffolk) offers progression pathways in sports for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) - from local, grass roots level sports training and activities through to regional, national and international events and competitions.

Recognising the powerful impact sport can have on our physical and mental wellbeing, Special Olympics Suffolk provides opportunities for people to make new friends, develop social skills, build self-confidence, demonstrate courage and, most importantly, have FUN! ✨

None of this would be possible without their hardworking volunteer coaches, who are committed to training athletes in an inclusive, safe and supportive environment 🤝

It’s an exciting time as athletes, gymnasts, badminton, tennis and boccia players prepare to showcase their abilities at the National Summer Games. Special Olympics Suffolk hopes the games will raise the profile of inclusive sport across the county, widen the range of activities available and encourage more people with ID to take part in sport.

We’re cheering everyone at Special Olympics Suffolk on and can’t wait to celebrate all the amazing achievements still to come 📣🎉

Special Olympics Suffolk warmly welcome anyone interested in getting involved. To find out more, check out 👉 www.specialolympicssuffolk.org
OR, to to read more about this wonderful news and to hear from some of the athletes about their goals for the Games, check out their story on BBC News 👉 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy22lgn5gpo

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🤔 Have you got good news? We'd love to hear it!

Submit to our deposit box here 🔗 www.activesuffolk.org/share-your-story

03/06/2026

Yesterday, we stood on with hundreds of organisations for Power of Youth Day – but it doesn’t stop there.

Today, we’re celebrating what happens when young people lead 🤝

What started as a simple conversation quickly became something much bigger. A group of female college students didn’t just engage with This Girl Can Suffolk – they took ownership, developed their vision, and created their own movement, She Now Can.

💡 From designing their brand and launching social media, to creating marketing materials and introducing the She Now Can step challenge to launch the programme, the girls have led every part of this journey.

Our role? To give them the space to lead, listen to their ideas and provide the right support when needed. Along the way, we’ve delivered a marketing workshop, facilitated various volunteering opportunities, and supported the delivery of volleyball and pickleball sessions at the college.

Their passion has driven She Now Can forward, and it’s been amazing to see the girls step up as ambassadors, inspiring their peers and younger girls to be more active.

She Now Can is proof that when young people lead, incredible things happen ✨

The movement