Sport For Confidence

11/02/2026

It’s our favourite time of year – it's Occupational Therapy Week! 🎉

This year's focus is Participation Changes Everything, highlighting how occupational therapists enable participation in the activities that matter most, improving health, wellbeing and quality of life through expert support at every stage of life.

At Sport for Confidence, Occupational Therapy is about much more than physical activity. It’s about understanding what matters to each person, recognising their strengths and helping them overcome barriers to participation.

From building confidence and social connections to developing independence and exploring new opportunities, the right support can make a real difference to people’s lives.

🎥 To mark the start of OT Week, our Co-CEO and Lead Occupational Therapist, Lyndsey Barrett talks about the people we work with, the outcomes that matter to them and how our approach helps people discover what’s possible.

⭐ Keep an eye on our socials every day this week for more insights from our wonderful OT team about the work they do and how our OTs use meaningful activity to build confidence and help remove barriers to participation.

Royal College of Occupational Therapists

10/30/2026

We’re delighted that John, one of our fantastic volunteers at Sport for Confidence, has been shortlisted for the Active Essex Essex Activity Hero Award!

Having started with us as a participant following a traumatic brain injury, John now volunteers twice a week, supporting people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to take part in physical activity at Lord Butler Fitness & Leisure Centre in Saffron Walden.

We’re incredibly proud of John and the difference he makes to our staff and our participants and we would love it if you could help us celebrate him, and the amazing contribution he makes, by casting a vote for him❤️

🗳️ Voting is open from 2–8 November.

👉 Read John’s story and find out how to vote:

https://sportforconfidence.com/sport-for-confidence-volunteer-nominated-for-essex-hero-award-2/

Please share to spread the word!

Find out more about the Essex Activity Awards - https://www.activeessex.org/essex-activity-awards-2026/

Essex County Council

John Clark, one of our amazing volunteers here at Sport for Confidence, has been shortlisted for the Essex Activity Hero award, part of Essex Activity Awards, alongside only 2 other volunteers from other parts of Essex. John has lived in the Uttlesford area most of his life; he was born on his famil...

10/29/2026

Sometimes success means becoming less needed.

At Sport for Confidence, we are increasingly thinking about impact not just in terms of what we deliver ourselves, but what changes around us because of the work we do.

That might be a leisure provider becoming more confident to include people they previously weren’t sure how to support. It might be an organisation changing its recruitment because people with lived experience have highlighted barriers. It might be stronger links between health and community services, or a partner becoming confident enough to lead something themselves.

Good systems work is not always about staying at the centre. Sometimes our role is to bring people together, share learning, offer specialist input, test something and then step back as confidence and capability grow elsewhere.

So alongside asking “How many people did we support?”, we are increasingly asking:

“What is now happening differently because of the work we did together?”

That is where some of the most important change can happen. 🙌

Find out more about our work here -

Sport for Confidence places allied health professionals into leisure centres to deliver sport sessions to anyone that faces barriers to participation.

10/27/2026

What can an OT student actually get involved in during a placement with Sport for Confidence?

One student completing an eight-week public health placement joined our sessions, spent time with OTs and coaches, interviewed six participants for case studies, joined team meetings and workshops, and explored health inequalities and public health.

One of the biggest shifts in their thinking was around physical activity.

Before the placement, they hadn’t really considered how much occupational therapy could bring to this space. Through conversations with participants and the team, they started thinking about physical activity alongside self-care, productivity, leisure, activity grading and participation.

That’s the kind of placement experience we want to create.

Students should get the chance to try things, meet people, contribute to real work and see their profession from a slightly different angle.

📩If you are a university, or a student, interested in learning more about student placements with Sport for Confidence please email us at [email protected].

World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT)

10/27/2026

💙 Happy World Occupational Therapy Day! 💙

A day very close to our hearts! This year’s theme, Participation Matters, reflects something at the centre of everything we do at Sport for Confidence.

Occupational Therapy is about helping people take part in the everyday activities that give life meaning — from looking after ourselves and connecting with others, to being active and involved in our communities.

At Sport for Confidence, our Occupational Therapists work alongside people to understand what matters to them, identify barriers and find ways to make participation possible. By bringing Occupational Therapy into community and leisure settings, we use sport and physical activity as tools to build confidence, improve health and wellbeing, develop independence and create a sense of belonging.

Because participation isn’t just about taking part. It’s about having the choice, support and opportunity to do the things that matter to you.

Today, we celebrate our incredible Occupational Therapy team and the difference they make every day — helping more people participate, connect and thrive. 👏

Find out more about how Sport for Confidence OTs empower people to live life to the fullest - https://sportforconfidence.com/who-we-are/what-is-occupational-therapy/

World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Royal College of Occupational Therapists

10/26/2026

Are you an Occupational Therapist looking to make a real difference in your local community?

Are you an Occupational Therapist passionate about helping people live more independently and participate in the activities that matter to them?

Join us here at Sport for Confidence and use your OT skills to take a person-centred, strengths-based approach to supporting people in their community. Support people to identify and overcome barriers to participation, build confidence and independence, and connect with meaningful activities in local leisure and community settings.

📍 Location: Brentwood

Interested in making a difference through community-based OT? We'd love to hear from you! Find out more about the role and how to apply on our website: 👇

https://sportforconfidence.com/join-our-team/

10/21/2026

How can we make inclusive physical activity part of everyday practice across health, social care, education, sport and community settings?

An independent evaluation by the University of Essex has highlighted how our SFC Learning Arena is helping make this happen — building workforce confidence, changing practice and strengthening partnerships.

📊 The impact so far:

💙 1,488 people engaged across 94 learning opportunities
💙 158 eLearning registrations
💙 8–17% improvements in physical activity counselling confidence
💙 More conversations about physical activity and greater collaboration across sectors

Funded through Essex County Council 's Public Health Accelerator Bid Programme, the Learning Arena is turning learning into action — helping professionals embed inclusive physical activity into the support they already provide.

And the work continues! The Learning Arena is now operating independently, building on these foundations to extend its reach and support more professionals and organisations.

📄 Read more and explore the full evaluation report to find out more -

https://sportforconfidence.com/sport-for-confidences-learning-arena-demonstrates-measurable-impact-across-workforce-and-wider-system/

10/21/2026

We Are Hiring! 📣

Are you an Occupational Therapist passionate about helping people build confidence, independence and connection within their local communities?

Sport for Confidence is looking for a Community Occupational Therapist to join our team in Colchester and help people overcome barriers to participation, access meaningful activities and improve their health and wellbeing.

💙 This is an opportunity to use your clinical skills in a community setting, working alongside people to help them achieve their goals and take part in the activities that matter to them.

If you believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate, belong and thrive, we’d love to hear from you!

🔗 Find out more about the role and how to apply:
https://sportforconfidence.com/join-our-team/

Leisure World Colchester Colchester City Council

10/20/2026

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬

A huge thank you to Sport For Confidence for their partnership and support on the Good Food, Good Moves project.

We're pleased to share this fantastic learning opportunity with our community.

Developed by occupational therapists, a dietitian, and people with lived experience, the course provides practical guidance on supporting healthier eating, wellbeing, and everyday routines for people with learning disabilities. It also explores person-centred approaches, positive communication, and healthy weight support.

The online course:
✅ Takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete
✅ Can be completed at your own pace
✅ Is ideal for family carers, paid carers, support staff, and anyone interested in supporting healthier habits and routines.

As part of this partnership, we have access to a limited number of free places.

📩 If you would like to access the training free of charge, please send us a Facebook message or email [email protected], and we'll send you the discount code to book your place.

10/20/2026

🌟 Celebrating the Power of Co-Production! 🌟



A huge thank you to Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Essex County Council for bringing together so many inspiring people at last weeks Mental Health Co-Production Conference! 🙌



Our Senior Occupational Therapist, Georgia Wills, and Peer Advocate, Suzanne Warren, had the pleasure of getting everyone moving with a taste of Love to Move before delivering a thought-provoking session on Leading with Lived Experience.

Together, they explored how valuing lived experience can challenge perceptions, build trust and create meaningful change.



💡 One key takeaway? Inclusion means influence. It's not just about listening to people's voices but ensuring they have opportunities to shape the services and decisions that affect them.



A fantastic day filled with inspiring speakers, meaningful conversations and opportunities to learn from one another!



📚 Interested in bringing our Leading with Lived Experience workshop to your team or organisation? Get in touch with the Sport for Confidence Learning Arena at - [email protected].