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Blog
We’re all Active Calderdale - and our case studies and helpful resources will help you find out more about what that means across our community. Meet our Active Champions and find tips to help you get started. When we move, we’re stronger.
News
St Malachy's Active Travel Success
St Malachy’s Primary School in Halifax continues to go from strength to strength on its Active Travel journey, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to pupil wellbeing, physical activity, and sustainable travel. As one of the original Active School Trailblazers, St Malachy’s has consistently championed initiatives that encourage children and families to move more. After joining the Active Schools programme in 2021, the school quickly embedded a range of interventions that
Active Calderdale
Jan 273 min read
BetterPoints West Yorkshire is here, and you’re invited!
Move more. Travel better. Earn rewards. BetterPoints* West Yorkshire is a new programme that rewards people for making healthier, greener travel choices. Whether it’s walking to work, taking the bus, cycling to the shops, or simply getting more active in your day, you can earn rewards and win prizes. From January 2026, everyone who lives, works, or studies in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds or Wakefield can take part. What is BetterPoints? BetterPoints is a behavi
Active Calderdale
Jan 272 min read
Halifax Central Initiative’s Eastern European Service
Supporting Active Lives Halifax Central Initiative (HCI) plays a vital role in supporting people from Eastern European communities to navigate everyday life in Calderdale. Through its dedicated Eastern European Service, individuals can access practical support with tasks such as understanding and paying bills, attending GP appointments, and managing other essential aspects of daily living. At the heart of this service is Blazena Pancikova, a dedicated project worker who prov
Active Calderdale
Jan 193 min read
Parks & green spaces
Ben’s Story: A whole different ball game
I’m Ben, I’m 19, and I live in Mixenden. Before the new basketball court was built at Mixenden Urban Park, the old one was basically unusable. The surface was uneven and covered in loose, broken rocks, and the hoops were bent, distorted, and missing nets. Basketball has always been a passion of mine, but this was the only court anywhere near me. Because of how bad it was, I could only spend an hour or so a week practising, and even then, it was hard to get anything out of it.
Active Calderdale
Dec 10, 20251 min read
Bringing North Halifax parks to life
North Halifax Partnership (NHP) is a community-driven organisation dedicated to improving wellbeing and public services across North Halifax. One of the ways NHP brings people together is through inclusive, family-friendly events held in local parks, many of which have been enhanced through the Active Parks fund. These improvements are already making a difference, creating safer, more welcoming spaces for residents to enjoy and increasing park usage throughout the year. Belo
Active Calderdale
Dec 10, 20252 min read
Breaking down barriers for events in parks
Calderdale’s parks and green spaces are some of our greatest assets, places where people come together to relax, play, celebrate, and get active. The more our parks are used, the safer and more welcoming they become for everyone. That’s why Calderdale Council has been working to make it easier for local groups, charities, and organisations to host events and activities in our parks and green spaces. Breaking down barriers In the past, one of the biggest barriers to organisin
Active Calderdale
Nov 10, 20252 min read
People like me
St Matthew's Rastrick: Resident stories
Resident A I live in Rastrick and I’m currently living on my own after coming out of a long, controlling marriage. That experience left me isolated from my family and friends, and rebuilding my confidence has been incredibly challenging. Both my therapist and counsellor encouraged me to start getting out more and to be around people again, but taking those first steps felt overwhelming. The Parish Centre at St Matthew’s has played a major part in helping me move forward. It h
Active Calderdale
Dec 12, 20253 min read
Maisy's Story: Skate it yourself
I’m Maisy, I’m 18, and I’m from North Halifax. I first heard about the Beechwood Youth Bash on North Halifax Partnership's Facebook page and noticed they were running a free pop-up skatepark. I’d always been interested in skating and wanted to learn, so I decided to go along to one of the Wednesday evening sessions, without really knowing what to expect. I ended up having an amazing time. Hardy, the skatepark coach from Skate It Yourself, was brilliant. He showed me the basi
Active Calderdale
Dec 11, 20251 min read
Ben’s Story: A whole different ball game
I’m Ben, I’m 19, and I live in Mixenden. Before the new basketball court was built at Mixenden Urban Park, the old one was basically unusable. The surface was uneven and covered in loose, broken rocks, and the hoops were bent, distorted, and missing nets. Basketball has always been a passion of mine, but this was the only court anywhere near me. Because of how bad it was, I could only spend an hour or so a week practising, and even then, it was hard to get anything out of it.
Active Calderdale
Dec 10, 20251 min read
Schools & education
St Malachy's Active Travel Success
St Malachy’s Primary School in Halifax continues to go from strength to strength on its Active Travel journey, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to pupil wellbeing, physical activity, and sustainable travel. As one of the original Active School Trailblazers, St Malachy’s has consistently championed initiatives that encourage children and families to move more. After joining the Active Schools programme in 2021, the school quickly embedded a range of interventions that
Active Calderdale
Jan 273 min read
Cycling Boost at Ferney Lee Primary
What began as a simple request for funding quickly became something far more impactful for Ferney Lee Primary School and Nursery. An initial enquiry about cycle helmets opened the door to a wider conversation about the school’s enthusiasm for cycling and its commitment to helping every child learn to ride. That conversation revealed a set of well-loved balance bikes in daily use, a passionate team of staff, and a clear ambition to build pupils’ confidence from an early age. S
Active Calderdale
Jan 122 min read
Colden FUNdamentals
Children learn an enormous amount during their time at school, with the foundations laid in Early Years education. This formative stage is when cognitive and motor skills develop most rapidly, shaping children’s future learning and overall development. Central to this are fundamental movement skills such as balancing, coordinating, throwing, catching, running, jumping, turning, and anticipating movement within a dynamic environment. Simply put, children need the physical conf
Active Calderdale
Dec 17, 20253 min read
Health & Social Care
Practising what we preach: A healthcare leader’s activity reset
Sudheer Shabir – PCN Manager, Halifax Central Like many people, I tend to “yo-yo” between being very active and not active at all. It’s easy for me to slip into the familiar pattern of tomorrow… a couple of days… next week when it comes to exercise. I play football weekly, but over the past year, I haven’t done much beyond that. If I’m honest, the biggest barriers have been the excuses I make to myself. Things changed when Hannah Davies, our General Practice Physical Activit
Active Calderdale
3 days ago1 min read
Building healthier communities through active travel in Brighouse
Pennine GP Alliance, which is now embedded in the Lower Valley Primary Care Network (PCN) in Brighouse, has always had one clear mission: to improve community wellbeing and tackle health inequalities. When the team looked closely at local needs, they spotted a big gap. While people wanted more ways to stay active, there weren’t many opportunities for accessible, community-based cycling or active travel groups. This inspired the idea for an Active Travel Hub, a space to suppor
Active Calderdale
3 days ago2 min read
Building skills & confidence: The Basement Project X Project Colt
In late July, The Basement Recovery Project contacted Calderdale Council with a simple but powerful idea: could they access a small number of bikes to support their volunteers and help deliver cycling sessions? What followed was the start of a partnership that went far beyond bike provision, creating lasting impact through skills, confidence, and community connection. A Partnership Built on Shared Values Active Calderdale reached out to Project Colt in Elland, the team behi
Active Calderdale
Jan 283 min read
Workplaces
Getting Moving at Pennine GP Alliance
At Pennine GP Alliance , a small idea is making a big difference to how staff move through their working day. General Practice Physical Activity Champion Hannah Davies spotted a couple of simple opportunities to get colleagues moving more: while waiting for the kettle to boil, and during the lunch break. Her goal? To make movement a normal part of office life, something everyone can do together, without it feeling like “exercise.” To kick things off, Hannah designed a poster
Active Calderdale
Nov 24, 20252 min read
Active Teams - Every move counts
Since March 2024, Active Teams , funded through Active Calderdale, have collaborated with the Personalised Long Term Support Team within Calderdale Council to offer physical activity and wellbeing challenges to staff. This month, we are expanding the offer across all CMBC Adult Services directorate as well as within Pennine GP Alliance (PGPA). The first Primary Care Network to take part will be Calder & Ryburn. Actions Taken and Changes Delivered September has been a busy mon
Active Calderdale
Sep 30, 20253 min read
Active Competition Inspires Family Support Services
Staff and families go head-to-head for the most active visits.
Active Calderdale
Nov 14, 20241 min read
Voluntary & community
Building skills & confidence: The Basement Project X Project Colt
In late July, The Basement Recovery Project contacted Calderdale Council with a simple but powerful idea: could they access a small number of bikes to support their volunteers and help deliver cycling sessions? What followed was the start of a partnership that went far beyond bike provision, creating lasting impact through skills, confidence, and community connection. A Partnership Built on Shared Values Active Calderdale reached out to Project Colt in Elland, the team behi
Active Calderdale
Jan 283 min read
Halifax Central Initiative’s Eastern European Service
Supporting Active Lives Halifax Central Initiative (HCI) plays a vital role in supporting people from Eastern European communities to navigate everyday life in Calderdale. Through its dedicated Eastern European Service, individuals can access practical support with tasks such as understanding and paying bills, attending GP appointments, and managing other essential aspects of daily living. At the heart of this service is Blazena Pancikova, a dedicated project worker who prov
Active Calderdale
Jan 193 min read
We’re All Active Calderdale: Sowerby & Sowerby Bridge
2025 Winter Celebration In the heart of Sowerby Bridge, St Paul’s Methodist Church stands as a welcoming community hub where people gather, connect and support one another. On Thursday, 11 December, its main hall became the festive and vibrant setting for the first We’re All Active Calderdale Winter Celebration for Sowerby and Sowerby Bridge. The event brought together over fifty people, including representatives from community groups, clubs, volunteer organisations and resid
Active Calderdale
Jan 133 min read
Active Inspiration
Creating active park resources
As part of our ongoing focus on parks and green spaces, Active Calderdale has been developing a new set of park map resource leaflets, designed to help people discover the many ways they can be active right on their doorstep. These maps are more than just guides. They’re conversation starters, created especially for practitioners who work with local residents, from social prescribers and community connectors to wellbeing coaches and activity leaders. Each leaflet highlights w
Active Calderdale
Oct 21, 20251 min read
Exploring the past and present along Mixenden's interactive trails
In August 2024 the Wild Walk and History Hike were installed following various steps of co-design and co-production.
Active Calderdale
Nov 19, 20243 min read
Football Focus: Walking Football
Getting active is the name of the game for a collection of walking footballers at the Mark Duffy Football School, and they are loving it!
Active Calderdale
Dec 1, 20232 min read
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