Active Cornwall has appointed a new CEO who wants to help everyone in the county to have the opportunity to live an active, healthy, and happy life.

Paul Critchley is an experienced leader who has been working with communities at a strategic level for more than 25 years.

He joins Active Cornwall at a time when the partnership is expanding its scope as the leading advocate in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for the power of physical activity. This includes the benefits that physical activity can bring to people and places, particularly those with the fewest opportunities and the most barriers, and those who have the greatest to gain from a physically active lifestyle.

Paul has a long background in the health and not-for-profit sector and joins Active Cornwall from Smile Together Dental CIC, the first employee-owned health company in the UK to achieve B Corp status, embedding its reputation as a world-class social enterprise.

On his appointment, Paul said: “I am delighted to be joining Active Cornwall and I am looking forward to bringing my experience in the sector, along with my passion for social inclusion and equality of opportunity to the role and helping to accelerate the great work the partnership already delivers.”

Paul has previously held senior roles across the health and local authority sector in Cornwall and brings with him a wealth of experience from working across the landscape and communities of the County.

His role as CEO will be to lead Active Cornwall in working collaboratively with communities and key partners, enabling positive change by joining up forces around the big issues that cause inequalities.

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Active Cornwall runs several programmes and initiatives supporting all ages and demographics. Live Longer Better in Cornwall focuses on our ageing population, encouraging those over 55 and with long-term health conditions to become motivated to move more.

The Time2Move Holiday Programme, funded by the Department for Education, offers all children aged 5-16 access to fun, funded, activities during the Easter, Summer, and Christmas holidays. It specifically targets those on benefits related to free school meals, facing the triple inequalities of social isolation, holiday hunger and inactivity.

The popular Cornwall School Games, funded by Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust and Active Cornwall, brings together hundreds of children across the county, encouraging young people to take part in competitive games, who wouldn’t usually get the chance to represent their schools in sports.

Working with key partners across Cornwall to help make physical activity a priority for new parents, and offering support during your pre-natal and post-natal journey is also a priority.

The organisation supports and offers a range of training and workshops, including first aid, dementia training and much more.

Paul added: “This is an exciting time to join Active Cornwall. We are currently recruiting to our board and have a new position available, such as a Business Manager.”

To read more about these roles and the areas that Active Cornwall aids visit the website www.activecornwall.org.