2-MINUTE READ

November 2025

Background

At Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, we’re continuing to support the Donnington community through a place-based project. This initiative is focused on tackling health inequalities and creating more opportunities for physical activity and connection - by working with residents and local partners, not just for them.

What's happened since our July update?

Since our last update, there’s been lots of positive progress in Donnington as we continue working alongside residents and partners to make the area a healthier, happier, and more connected place to live. 

Supporting schools to get pupils active

Our School Games work has continued to help children move more and have fun through physical activity. Both Donnington Wood Junior School and St Matthew’s Primary School have received portable squash equipment following the success of summer taster sessions. Teaching staff have also taken part in training delivered by Shropshire Squash, enabling them to lead sessions during PE lessons, lunchtime breaks, and after-school clubs. The equipment is currently being used at Donnington Wood Junior School and will move to St Matthew’s in January.

Building on the momentum from last term’s taster sessions, Donnington Boxing Club is now delivering weekly after-school clubs at both primary schools – a great way for pupils to develop confidence, coordination, and fitness in a supportive environment.

One year of partnership working in Donnington

In October, we celebrated 12 months of collaborative place-based working with local residents and stakeholders at a special event held at Silver Threads Hall. The session provided an opportunity to reflect on achievements, share learning, and look ahead to the next stage of our work together.

We’re excited to share that a name has been chosen for this collective effort – Donnington Together. A logo inspired by creative ideas from local primary school pupils is now being developed to represent the partnership and the growing sense of community ownership and teamwork that’s taking shape.

Continuing collaboration and co-production

Regular meetings with both residents and stakeholders continue to help shape priorities and coordinate local efforts. There’s lots happening – and we’d love more residents to get involved!

You can keep up to date with what’s going on or join one of the groups by completing the form on this webpage.

Together, we can build on the progress so far and keep working towards a healthier, more active Donnington.

Listening to local voices

Have you completed our Donnington survey yet? If not, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts via our Adults Survey or Children & Young People’s Survey. Your feedback helps us understand what matters most to local people.

A key theme emerging from survey responses and community conversations is the need for better information sharing. Many residents told us they weren’t aware of local opportunities and services, and partners highlighted that while a lot of positive work is happening, much of it operates in isolation.

To help address this, we’ve:

• Started regular catch-up meetings with local activity providers, created in partnership with Telford & Wrekin Council’s Safer & Stronger Communities Team, to share details of what’s happening in Donnington.

• Welcomed the introduction of two new Community Navigator roles, who will play an important part in helping residents stay informed about local opportunities and support.

Connecting residents with local support

We’re also delighted to share news of two new Live Well Hubs to help residents access information about local services:

• Donnington Community Hub – First Friday of every month

• Silver Threads Hall – Third Tuesday of every month, 3:30–5:45 pm (launching Tuesday 18 November)

Joe and Pete at Energize attended the launch event of the Live Well Hub at Donnington Community Hub on Friday 9th November.  Pete is photographed below (third person from left).

Celebrating movement and fun

Our latest School Games event brought together Year 5 and 6 pupils from Donnington Wood and St Matthew’s Primary Schools at Telford Tennis Centre for a day packed with fun activities designed to get everyone moving.

Both pupils and teachers enjoyed the opportunity to try new ways to be active for their health and wellbeing – a great example of our Communities and Education teams working together to achieve our shared goal of eliminating inactivity.

How you can get involved

Whether you live or work in Donnington, we’d love to hear from you. Your experiences, concerns, and ideas will shape this work.

• Residents: Please take a few minutes to complete our Adults Survey or Children & Young People’s Survey.

• Stakeholders: Share the surveys with your networks, and if you’d like to join our stakeholder group, sign up via our website.

To receive project updates or join one of our working groups, contact:

Joseph Doody, Place Development Manager
joseph.doody@energizestw.org.uk
07903 018035

 ➡️ Keep up to date with our place-based working in Donnington.