An event aimed at encouraging organisations to co-operate in designing, promoting and commissioning sport and physical activity opportunities in Suffolk is to be held at Trinity Park Conference Centre near Ipswich.

The inaugural Most Active County Stakeholder Event will take place on Wednesday 15th January and will specifically focus on the role of physical activity in promoting health and wellbeing in the county as part of Suffolk’s ambitions to become the most active county in England.

It has been designed to help those attending to:

• better understand the challenges and opportunities facing physical activity development
• learn about efforts to promote physical activity in Suffolk
• exchange knowledge and experience of physical activity development

Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Mike Kelly, the Director of the Centre of Public Health at the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) who will provide expert opinion and insight into the role of physical activity in promoting health and wellbeing and preventing disease.

Dr William Bird, the founder of health IT company Intelligent Health which uses behaviour change expertise and technology to create walking and other activity schemes to help large numbers of people get moving again. Dr Bird will explore the challenge of changing behaviour (indoor, outdoor and through active travel) to encourage large numbers of people to get moving.

The event, which will run between 1pm and 4.30pm and is free to attend, will also feature thought provoking and informative presentations on 'the role of sport in healthcare pathways', encouraging students to get active, examples of local best practice and details of a new leadership development programme for sector leaders in Suffolk.

The conference is suitable for anyone working in the public, private or voluntary sector that has a remit or responsibility for developing, delivering, commissioning or evaluating physical activity interventions for public health gain. For example, health and wellbeing board members, physical activity coordinators, sports development managers/officers, sports governing bodies, health improvement/promotion specialists, public health specialists, commissioning managers, policy makers and researchers.