Let's move together for a healthier County Durham

We want to hear from residents about what would encourage them to be more active, to help us shape our what we offer in future either in our leisure centres or in the local community. We especially want to hear from people who want to return to, or start a more active life.

Being active

We know that moving, physical activity and sport can change lives, not only by supporting good physical health, but also by making us feel happier, helping us to be more productive in our personal and working lives, and even by improving quality of sleep. The benefits of being physically active are well documented within Moving Together in County Durham Strategy.

County Durham is a great place to be active from our fabulous beaches and coastal walks to our woodland and moorlands are great places to go to enjoy the fresh air. You can make the most of our walking and cycling routes, or just get outside and have fun with your friends and family.

If you prefer more organised activities there are lots of options from walking groups, gardening, community activities to sports clubs or a visit to one of our 14 local leisure centres offering gym, swim and fitness session for all.

About the survey

We know that only 59% of adults in the county meet the minimum guidelines of being active for at least 150 minutes a week. 30% do less than 30 minutes activity a week and this rises to nearly 40% in our most deprived areas.  

We regularly get feedback from our customers who are already using our services to stay active. However through this survey we especially want to reach out to those who are unable to stay active for whatever reason, so we can understand what prevents them from being active.  

This will help us to transform our services and provide activities in a way that helps people to be more active, helps us to apply for funding, and encourages partners to work with us in different ways.  

We are working with Sport England who have developed a survey which has already been used by six local councils. It will help us to understand how residents in County Durham compare to other areas in the country.

The results of this survey will be useful to a range of our services including wellbeing, sports and leisure, public health, active travel, parks and green spaces, public rights of way, and children and young people.  

Help with getting started

If you are not sure how to get started on your physical activity journey our leisure centres and community programme are here to help. Visit our thrive leisure website to see what they can offer or pop into any of our leisure centres and have a chat. 

The closing date for comments is 30 July 2025.

We are required to make this survey live to meet a funding bid requirement; however, it does not comply with accessibility legislation. If, for any reason, you cannot access the form and need an alternative format, please contact csleisuremanagement@durham.gov.uk