Why Energize got involved
We know that movement plays a vital role in supporting physical and mental wellbeing. Yet Disabled people are still twice as likely to be inactive compared to non-disabled people. This isn’t about motivation, it’s about barriers. Locally in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin there are approximately 58,970 carers supporting 41,265 individuals that identify as Disabled. (Census 2021; Skills for Care 2024). The GYA Local Project is tackling this inequality head-on by embedding physical activity into everyday life, services, and decision-making across the region. It’s about shifting perspectives so that movement is no longer seen as an optional extra, but as a fundamental part of support, care, and wellbeing.
A joined-up approach
What makes this project different is its collaborative, system-wide approach.
By bringing together people with lived experience, local councils, health and social care professionals, and physical activity providers, the project is co-designing solutions that are practical, inclusive, and sustainable. Rather than creating standalone initiatives, the focus is on long-term change, building confidence, knowledge, and opportunities within existing systems.
Our three key focus areas
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Health and Social Care workforce
We are supporting both paid and unpaid carers to understand the importance of physical activity and feel confident encouraging the people they support to move more. This is about making activity a natural part of care, not an added extra.
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Moving Social Work
Through targeted training and resources, we are helping current and future social workers embed physical activity into everyday practice. This work contributes to reducing health inequalities while promoting independence, wellbeing, and social justice.
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Co-production
At the heart of the project is co-production, working directly with Disabled people and those with lived experience to shape activities and environments. This ensures that what’s developed is not only accessible, but meaningful and relevant. We did this by building confidence and skills within the local physical activity sector to enable them use co-production principles when designing, delivering and evaluating their offer for Disabled people.
Progress so far
The impact is already being felt across the county:
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246 social work professionals have been trained, increasing confidence in supporting Disabled people to be physically active (123 from Shropshire Council and 123 from Telford & Wrekin Council).
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Strong leadership buy-in is helping embed this learning into everyday social work practice.
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32 members of the social care workforce have attended in-person training, with 30 more engaging in an online webinar version since January 2026.
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Co-production training has reached 16 physical activity providers, with a further 24 registering for an online webinar version.
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Most encouraging is the level of demand. Expressions of interest have consistently exceeded attendance, highlighting a growing recognition that physical activity should be part of everyday support. This signals a wider cultural shift where movement is increasingly viewed as essential, not optional.
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Our Celebrating Change, Sharing Success event brought together Disabled people, health and social care professionals, local authorities, voluntary and community organisations, and activity providers to share learning, showcase progress and strengthen the partnerships that are helping to create lasting change.
Let's hear from people involved
Charlotte Hambleton, Principal Social Worker for Adult Social Care in Telford and Wrekin, said:
“I am thrilled to be involved in the Moving Social Work training element of the GYA Local Project - it has really helped me think differently about how we support wellbeing, and it has supported our practitioners to feel more confident in having meaningful conversations about staying active and doing the things that matter most to people. What’s been most valuable is how this builds on everyday practice, helping us better understand the benefits of moving more and how this supports people’s wellbeing in line with our strengths-based approach.”
Michelle Pullen, Programme Manager - Communities, Health and Social Care at Energize STW added:
“It's been a privilege to work with Disability Rights UK, our local partners, and people with lived experience to explore how we can shift the narrative around movement and physical activity and embed it into everyday practice and daily life. Being part of this project has been incredibly inspiring. We’ve explored what is possible and continue to look at ways we can continue taking meaningful steps towards positive change. This is not something that can be achieved by any one organisation or individual alone. It requires all of us to work together, support one another, and to look at how we can build a system where movement and physical activity can be embedded into the way we live, work, and deliver services.”
Elliot Watson, Project Coordinator on Get Yourself Active at Disability Rights UK and Social Care Workforce Training Lead said:
“It was fantastic to see such interest and enthusiasm from carers, support workers, PAs and others who attended the social care training. Participants really engaged with the importance of supporting Disabled people to move more in everyday life, and it was encouraging to see their commitment to making physical activity a natural part of care and support.”
Celebration event outcomes
On Monday 22nd June 2026, we co-hosted a Get Yourself Active Local event to celebrate the progress made so far and share the successes of the project.
The event attracted 50 people from social care, occupational therapy, local authorities and physical activity providers to explore how partnership working is helping to create positive change across adult social care and community physical activity provision in a transformational way.
It also provided an opportunity to reflect on learning, share good practice, and look at how we can continue, looking ahead, to support Disabled people to move more in ways that work for them.
Throughout the event, a visual scribe captured the conversations, stories and key messages being shared across the day. The finished illustration brings together contributions from speakers, local organisations and people with lived experience, alongside the themes that emerged through discussions and activities.
To view the full visual image of the day, you can access it via this link. You can see a smaller version down below.
