About Us
Working collaboratively to improve the lives of the people in Hertfordshire, by using the power of sport and physical activity to tackle inequality.
The Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP) works strategically and collaboratively to improve the lives of the people of Hertfordshire, by using the power of sport and physical activity to tackle inequality and disadvantage. Our Strategic Plan 2022-27 provides the framework for our work, and our Annual Impact Report 2023-24 highlights how we deliver our strategy in practice.
Watch our Impact Video here
Being active can be a fun, enjoyable and social experience; it can also bring enormous benefits for our health, wellbeing and happiness for individuals, communities and wider society. Encouragingly, across Hertfordshire, 60% of adults and 48% of young people are active enough for it to benefit their health. However, we see distinct inequalities within different population groups and in different localities who find it harder to be active and reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. The Partnership will ensure that we have a laser-like focus on identifying and addressing inequality and inactivity and optimising limited resources for the greatest impact. Further information about the insight driving our work areas can be found on the HSP Physical Activity Story Map.
Established in 2003, we are based at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield and are one of 43 Active Partnerships across England, that are part funded by Sport England to deliver locally against their Uniting the Movement Strategy.
Known as HSP, the Partnership has a core team of full and part-time professionals, and we are involved in a wide range of exciting projects, campaigns and strategic influencing work to deliver against our objectives. The Partnership also has a voluntary board that represents the various work areas we are involved in and provides strategic oversight and guidance.
The HSP team works alongside numerous public, private and voluntary partners, bringing together expertise, resources and ideas from all parts of the sports, health and physical activity arena in Hertfordshire and beyond.
The Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP) prides itself on setting and maintaining high standards across its business operations as the cornerstone of delivering a high performing organisation which is inclusive, innovative and impactful. Here are the standards, improvement tools and recognition schemes that we operate within:
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Tier 3 – UK Code for Sports Governance Compliance
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The Code sets out the levels of transparency, diversity and inclusion, accountability and integrity that are required from those organisations who are in receipt of UK Government and National Lottery funding. Tier 3 represents the top level of mandatory governance requirements in the Code. As part compliancy with the Code, HSP's Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) has also been approved through an independent review process. |
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External Governance Evaluation
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As part of the UK Code for Sports Governance, HSP undertakes a rigorous independent evaluation of its Governance policy and practice every 4 years, which informs our Governance Improvement Plan. |
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CPSU Safeguarding Standard - Met
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The Safeguarding Standards provides an industry benchmark to help those involved in sport to make informed decisions, promote good practice, raise lower-level concerns and help to create a safe sporting environment for everyone. HSP go through an annual review process with the CPSU to measure the extent we maintain the standards. At our most recent review (June 2023), we were judged to have successfully met the standards. |
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Employer Partnership
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CIMSPA Employer Partners are committed to the highest standards of training and development, support their workforce to access continuous professional development and support their staff with CIMSPA membership. |
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Disability Confident Employer – Level 1 Committed status
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The Disability Confident Employer Scheme is a nationally recognised accreditation scheme designed to attract, recruit, and retain disabled staff. HSP (via its host - the University of Hertfordshire) has Level 1 Committed - Disability Confident status. |
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OfficeVibe eNPS - Great Organisation to work for
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OfficeVibe is an evidence-based tool used by thousands of organisations globally to understand and support the wellbeing of staff. The eNPS is a simple way to track loyalty and pride for your organization by measuring the likelihood of whether an employee would be willing to recommend their organization as a good place to work. In 2023, HSP staff reported 52/100 (Great) for the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) which compares very favourably to the industry average (23/100). |
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UH Vice-Chancellor Awards
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The UH Vice-Chancellor Awards is a highly prestigious award scheme that celebrate and recognise staff members and teams whose creativity, expertise, and positivity really make an impact. In 2024, HSP received the following awards: Winner:
Highly Commended:
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MODESHIFT Stars Business – Approved Travel Plan
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Modeshift STARS offers a national accreditation standard for organisations that have demonstrated excellence in supporting walking, cycling, and other forms of sustainable travel by developing and implementing an effective Travel Plan. |
About Us
Get in touch…
For further information about the Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership, please contact us at: hspinfo@herts.ac.uk