About > Active Partners Trust
We are Active Partners Trust
Active Partners Trust is a charitable trust, bringing together the Active Partnerships in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire through Active Derbyshire and Active Notts.
Active Partners Trust is our registered company and charity name but all of our work is done through Active Derbyshire and Active Notts.
How we are governed
Active Partners Trust is a registered charity (1180787) and a company limited by guarantee (1080787). One of our main funders is Sport England and as such we need to comply with Tier 3 of the Code for Sports Governance.
Active Partners Trust Business Plan
All of our work is guided by our plan for addressing inequality around Physical Activity – Making Our Move. Our business plan sets out how we will work and how we will develop our actions around Making Our Move.
The work of Active Partners Trust (APT) is overseen by the APT Board and our Board members live and work across the two cities and counties. All board members are both the Company Directors and the Charity Trustees of APT.
Derek Higton
Board Chair – Independent Director
Safeguarding Lead (Young People and Adults at Risk)
Welfare and Safety Lead
Derek is the Service Director for Youth, Families and Culture with Nottinghamshire County Council, and has overall responsibility for the County Council’s sports strategies.
His professional background is in youth work and youth services, but he now has responsibility for a wide range of children’s and cultural services across Nottinghamshire.
Sarah Fowler
Board Member – Independent Director
Chair of Active Derbyshire Panel
Sarah is Chief Executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and was previously Chief Executive of Peak District National Park Authority.
Cllr Carol Hart
Board Member – Local Authority Funding Partner Director
Member of Active Derbyshire Panel
Carol became an Elected Member on Derbyshire County Council following a by-election in 2005. In 2009 she became the Cabinet Member for Communities and later Cabinet Member for Public Health. From 2013 to 2017 she served as Shadow Cabinet Member while in opposition. Following the County Council Elections in May 2017 Carol became the Cabinet Member for Health and Communities.
Carol became Leader of Erewash Borough Council after serving as Deputy Leader for the previous 10 years.
Graham Feek
Board Member – Independent Director
Chair of Active Notts Panel
Graham is Deputy Chief Executive of Greenwood Academies Trust, which run 36 academies across the East Midlands, and also Executive Director of Our Learning Cloud, who provide cloud computing services to schools. Graham is passionate about supporting young people to be able to succeed in life and has led on the establishment of many large scale programmes to support pupil development and skills, many focussing on physical and mental wellbeing.
Graham is a qualified accountant by profession and previously occupied a number of senior roles in local government, including in Children’s Services.
Danny Bouckley
Board Member – Board Vice Chair – Independent Director
Member of People & Resources Committee
Member of Nominations Committee
Danny is currently the HR Director for Transformation (Europe) within PepsiCo International. Since joining in 2011 he has held a number of senior HR positions and completed a variety of international assignments.
Prior to starting with PepsiCo Danny has worked across a broad range of industries within organizations ranging in scale from start-ups to NASDAQ/FTSE businesses.
Louise Bainbridge
Board Member – Senior Independent Director
Member of Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Louise is Chief Executive of Nottingham CityCare Partnership a Social Enterprise which provides a broad range of health services across the City of Nottingham. Louise is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of local people through her work at Nottingham CityCare, APT and beyond. Her professional background is finance and governance.
Jane Laughton
Board Member – Independent Director
Member of People & Resources Committee
Member of Nominations Committee
Jane is the CEO of Healthwatch Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, a charity and statutory body which champions the voice of patients and the public in the NHS and care system, with a focus on communities whose voice is not usually heard. Previously she worked for the NHS in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, leading system change programmes within and across organisations.
She is experienced in public engagement, strategy development and partnership working with public and voluntary sector organisations.
Mark Shardlow
Board Member – Independent Director
Mark is a freelance sports broadcaster, producer and consultant. He worked for the BBC for over 30 years with highlights including working on 6 Olympic Games and 12 Wimbledon Championships. He introduced the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award for the East Midlands in 2002 to showcase the many individuals and groups making a difference at grassroots level across the East Midlands. Since turning freelance in 2021 he’s worked for Team GB, Paralympics GB, Team England, British Canoeing and British Triathlon and had produced a number of podcasts for individuals and organisations.
Chris Hassell
Board Member – Independent Director
Member of Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Member of Active Notts Panel
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant Chris has spent 25 years leading business-wide transformations, with IT change as the catalyst, at major UK Companies (Morrisons, Dixons Carphone, PowerGen and many of the major UK Food manufacturers).
Chris has also served as a Special School Governor, building on his Teaching qualification, and currently is a Trustee to two local charities. Most weekends you will find Chris on a basketball court with his family – he is passionate about coaching wheelchair basketball and has been the Head Coach of England teams at the UK School Games for many years building on the legacy of 2012!
The work in Derbyshire and Notts is guided by panels within each county. Our panel members bring a diverse range of experience and knowledge to our work.
Graham Feek
Active Notts Panel Chair
Graham is Deputy Chief Executive of Greenwood Academies Trust, which run 36 academies across the East Midlands, and also Executive Director of Our Learning Cloud, who provide cloud computing services to schools. Graham is passionate about supporting young people to be able to succeed in life and has led on the establishment of many large scale programmes to support pupil development and skills, many focussing on physical and mental wellbeing.
Graham is a qualified accountant by profession and previously occupied a number of senior roles in local government, including in Children’s Services.
Sarah Fowler
Active Derbyshire Panel Chair
Sarah is Chief Executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and was previously Chief Executive of Peak District National Park Authority.
Cllr Carol Hart
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Carol became an Elected Member on Derbyshire County Council following a by-election in 2005. In 2009 she became the Cabinet Member for Communities and later Cabinet Member for Public Health. From 2013 to 2017 she served as Shadow Cabinet Member while in opposition. Following the County Council Elections in May 2017 Carol became the Cabinet Member for Health and Communities.
Carol became Leader of Erewash Borough Council after serving as Deputy Leader for the previous 10 years.
Debbie Chesterman
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Debbie’s background is in health, having trained as a Registered General Nurse and a Midwife.
After leaving nursing to work in the third sector, setting up and running a Mother and Baby unit and then a Residential unit for vulnerable young adults, she moved into the private sector. As a business owner she maintained commitment to caring and helping people improve their lives with contracts including the development and management of a visitor centre which among others catered for a range of vulnerable groups, setting up and running walking programmes and organising outdoor physical activity schemes. Currently working as Business Development and Partnership Manager for Intelligent Health.
Rachel North
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Former Strategic Director of Communities & Place and Deputy Chief Executive at Derby City Council, Rachel has experience of partnership working with businesses, the voluntary and community sector and cultural partners. Over a 30 year career in local government Rachel has worked for a variety of councils in different regions but always as a champion for the power of public services working alongside the communities they serve to unlock creativity and drive better outcomes.
Kevin Lane
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
For over 30 years I’ve been trying to make the leisure experience a better one for those who visit our venues. My career includes education, leisure management, leisure consultancy, workplace consultancy, and I was the national Quest Scheme Manager for 7 years.
Most recently I’ve worked for Active Nation, as Operations Director and then Well-being Director, enabling us to contribute to the wider well-being agenda; joining physical activity with mental health to create a better whole person. Life is a balancing act – invest in your life, put something in and you’ll get something back in spades, and think positively and you will success. I try to balance work, physical and mental activity, socialising, volunteering and hobbies. I’m delighted to be a board member for Active Derbyshire following my chairing of an eating disorder charity. In my spare time I am physically active, especially on a road bike, and am a committee member for a Ockbrook Photographic Club near Derby. My swiftly growing grand-daughter is my other passion and she will, of course, be encouraged to be active to embed the habit as early as possible.
Dr Sally Akehurst
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
As Head of School for Human Sciences at the University of Derby, I provide leadership across Sport and Exercise Science, Biomedical and Forensic Science and our Human Science Research Centre. Our focus is to deliver Personalised Translational Science for Human Health and Performance Outcomes, aligned to healthy ageing, active lives, societal justice, sustainability communities, and enabling individuals to reach their potential in sport.
Having a wealth of experience in Higher Education as a lecturer, researcher, applied practitioner and leader, I guide our provision across these areas and work collaboratively with partners to draw connections between the academic world and industry to enhance student experience, support industry and the community, and deliver research that is impactful and meaningful for end users. I am very proud to work with a vibrant academic community in Human Sciences that is driven to deliver excellence in all that we do, and striving to have positive impact, and make a difference.
I work in partnership with Active Derbyshire and have joined the panel in order to foster collaborations that can benefit all parties, join forces to support positive change, and to support our region in enhancing active lives, communities and population health through enabling the translation and application of Human Sciences to support strategy, intervention and community benefit through working together.
Jo Smith
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Following both a degree in Biological Sciences from Durham University and a PHD, Jo spent a few years working in academia, undertaking research and lecturing in both the UK and USA. Jo then moved to the environment sector, with the aim to inspire people to care about the natural world. Since, Jo has worked for Norfolk County Council as well as a number of different NGOs, including the Field Studies Council and Sustrans.
Jo took on the role of Chief Executive for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in May 2014. Under Jo’s leadership, the Trust has led on several successful large scale partnership programmes, as well as some high profile campaigns. Recent highlights have included the reintroduction of beavers to the Trent Valley and establishing an exciting urban rewilding initiative at Allestree Park in Derby. The Trust has worked hard to increase its reach and influence through a number of initiatives, such as charity shops on the high street, a music festival and paid non-graduate entry level work schemes. The Trust also runs an innovative green social prescribing programme in partnership with the NHS and The National Forest. Jo sits on The Wildlife Trusts England Committee, The Heritage Fund Committee for the Midlands and East and the Natural England Landscapes Advisory Panel.
Ben Williams
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Ewa Van De Schootbrugge
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Ejaz Sarwar
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Helen Yates
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Thom Dunn
Active Derbyshire Panel Member
Anne Rippon
Active Notts Panel Member
I’ve been working to support people to be active since starting my career at Nottinghamshire County Council. I moved on to Sport England and later became regional strategic lead across the Midlands. There I helped set up County Sports Partnerships which encouraged people and organisations to work together for sport and physical activity. I also spent three years working on regional and national plans at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It’s great to be supporting Active Partners Trust in making a difference for the future.
I’m now a trustee of Notts County Foundation, the community arm of Notts County FC, and also a committee member of Rushcliffe Move and Mingle. Locally, I enjoy leading a weekly Wellbeing Walk and encouraging people to be out and about and moving more in East Leake.
Ed Wright
Active Notts Panel Member
Ed has been a partner in law firm Shakespeare Martineau’s Commercial IP team since 2007, specialising in non-contentious commercial, contract, intellectual property, information and communications technology, distance selling, e-commerce, data protection, freedom of information and competition law.
He has acted for a number of national governing bodies and other sports organisations, together with high profile sports individuals and leading sports businesses, including Commonwealth Games England.
Chris Hassell
Active Notts Panel Member
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant Chris has spent 25 years leading business-wide transformations, with IT change as the catalyst, at major UK Companies (Morrisons, Dixons Carphone, PowerGen and many of the major UK Food manufacturers).
Chris has also served as a Special School Governor, building on his Teaching qualification, and currently is a Trustee to two local charities. Most weekends you will find Chris on a basketball court with his family – he is passionate about coaching wheelchair basketball and has been the Head Coach of England teams at the UK School Games for many years building on the legacy of 2012!
Nick Peirce
Active Notts Panel Member
Prof. Nick Peirce is Head of Service and an NHS Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at Nottingham University Hospital, QMC, Nottingham. He is Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales cricket board and an Honorary Clinical Professor in Sports Medicine at Loughborough University.
He has been in post as an NHS Consultant since 2001 and has become increasingly involved in various aspects of healthcare development including the development of new SEM services such as National clinic for exercisers with Type 1 diabetes, the NUH Prevention Strategy and the development of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, at Loughborough University.
His career has also seen him focus on development of athlete medical services including 7 years as Lead Physician for the English Institute of Sport, CMO for GB World Class Canoeing Program 1997-2017, Great Britain Rowing, Team GB and for LTA Great Britain Davis Cup team, attending Sydney and Athens Olympics and Commonwealth Games. He was awarded the British Association of Sports Medicine travelling scholarship and with the ECB won the BMJ award for Sport and Exercise Medicine Team of the year in 2013. He was Nottingham Forest lead doctor for nearly 20 years until retiring from football in 2018.
His passion for both health improvements through physical activity and prevention saw him jump at the chance to work with Active Notts and help link hospital patients to the wider opportunities across Nottinghamshire.
Laura Martin
Active Notts Panel Member
Rebecca Phillips
Active Notts Panel Member
Dawn Jenkin
Active Notts Panel Member
Dave Brennan
Active Notts Panel Member
Dave is CEO of Castle Cavendish, a social impact company working to improve people’s lives by supporting local businesses and the voluntary sector to grow and develop, in an ethical and sustainable way. He has led the organisation from 2012, overseeing its successful transformation into a financially-viable charitable body and sustainable social enterprise, investing its net proceeds and attracting other funding into improving some of the most the disadvantaged areas of Nottingham.
Dave graduated with an Honours Degree in Environmental Planning from Sheffield in 1988, and followed this with a Master’s Degree in Civic Design from the University of Liverpool. With over 30 years of experience in urban renewal and community regeneration, Dave has been CEO of some high-profile urban regeneration schemes across the country, including City Challenge, SRB and New Deal for Communities, and acted as the Company Secretary to the charitable bodies that governed them. He has also been a speaker and facilitator at a number of regional and national conferences, and has represented the UK Government on the topic of urban renewal. He was previously a Board Member of the British Urban Regeneration Association and is currently a Trustees of Healthwatch Nottingham & Nottinghamshire, as well as being a Fellow of the RSA.
Before injury and old-age, Dave played professional rugby union and rugby league. He is married and has a labradoodle named Teddy. He is a keen walker and cyclist and all-round sport fanatic.
Fiona Haynes
Active Notts Panel Member
I am a retired physiotherapist with over 35 years NHS experience, 18 years of which were in Nottingham as a clinical specialist in Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The Wolfson CF Unit opened in 2014 and was specifically designed to promote the role of exercise as a major part of treatment and I led on the design of the facilities and pathways to support this. We created an integrated care model spanning acute and community settings with virtual delivery of individual and group exercise sessions for our patients.
I was also the regional physio lead for the CF health hub, a national pilot which evaluated a digital self care and behaviour change platform. This included motivational interviewing using the COM-B model to help understand and address barriers to treatment adherence. During my time working in the CF Unit, I presented the results of exercise provision and service evaluation at ten European Cf conferences.
Since retiring 5 years ago I have volunteered in a number of health related roles:
As a health volunteer with the Mid-Notts Social Prescribing teams assisting with home exercise, supporting attendance at exercise classes and enabling individuals to find the most suitable physical activity.
I support a Nordic walking group for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
As a befriender in the ‘Live Later Life Better’ scheme in Newark & Southwell areas
I have been invited to support a range of forums and discussions such as ‘ Move more Newark & Sherwood’, ‘Falls Prevention Community of Practice’ and ‘ Better Waiting MSK’ which span a range of stakeholders.
I have always been an active participant in sport and currently participate cycling, open water swimming, Pilates, yoga and hiking.
Policies
If you’d like to find out more about our policies, please click on the relevant links.
Active Partners Trust (APT) wishes to act as an exemplar for diversity and equity within its sphere of influence. In doing so, APT commits to promoting good equitable practice within APT and with partners.
We want to continue to learn and evolve as an organisation so have developed ambitions around equity, diversity and inclusion.
Reports
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Active Derbyshire 2021-22
Active Notts 2021-22
Active Derbyshire 2020-21
Active Notts 2020-21
APT Annual Governance Statement April 2023
Minutes of meetings
If you’d like to find out more about our meetings, click on the links of each meeting to the right.
September 2023
June 2023
March 2023
December 2022
September 2022
July 2022
April 2022
December 2021
How we are governed
If you’d like to find out more about how we are governed, please click on the relevant link.
Safeguarding – Safe sport and physical activity
Active Partners Trust takes the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk very seriously.
In sport, as in other areas of life, we recognise that children, young people and adults at risk can be more vulnerable to harm, abuse and bullying so we are committed to promoting safe opportunities to take part in sport.
For more information about Safeguarding, please visit our Safeguarding page here.
Margaret Blount
Operations Lead
Safeguarding Lead
Our Partners
