Safer Spaces to Move: from policy to practice

Carolyn Thorsen Safer Space to Move Project Manager ukactive

Creating environments where people feel safe, confident and supported to be active is fundamental for our sector. For many women, feeling confident and safe in gym, fitness and leisure facilities is something that must be actively built. This sits at the heart of Safer Spaces to Move, a collaborative project developed by ukactive and Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign. Our newest operator guide, From Policy to Practice: How to Share Your Stance Against Harassment, marks the next step in this work.

The guide builds on earlier resources launched in July 2025, including an Operator Handbook that provides foundational-level guidance on policies and procedures along with staff training modules for responding to incidents of sexual harassment and intimidation. It focuses on the next step: not whether facilities have policies in place, but whether members are aware of them, understand them, and trust they will be upheld. A key message from the guide is that how operators communicate their stance is just as important as the stance itself.

Throughout the development of the guide we carried out research with facility users and collected feedback from a taskforce made up of operators from across all parts of our sector to make sure recommendations were relevant and practical. Our research showed that policies alone are not enough. Facility users are looking for clarity and reassurance – what behaviour is expected, how concerns will be handled, and what happens during the reporting process. Without this, even the strongest policies can fail to translate into a feeling of safety.

The guide provides practical support to help operators communicate more effectively across every touchpoint – from in-facility signage and digital channels to staff interactions. It includes messaging principles, message examples and guidance onhow to position communications so they feel reassuring rather than performative, sticking to our facilities’ aims to be welcoming environments for all. Building and sustaining trust is a key theme throughout the guide. Our research highlighted that trust is often thought of as a ‘hygiene factor’ – unnoticed when present but quickly felt when absent. Members build trust in their facility when they believe the facility shares their values, can deliver on its promises and genuinely cares about their experience. This is reflected not just in messaging, but in what members consistently see and experience during their visits. Importantly, this is not about a single campaign or statement. Trust is built over time through consistent delivery through our sectors’ operations and its people. Communication plays a vital role in reinforcing this, ensuring members understand the standards in place and the support available to them.

Trust is built over time through consistent delivery through our sectors’ operations and its people

We encourage operators to use this guide to strengthen how policies are communicated to their members and ensure this is backed up through action so that their facilities can build the confidence that encourages more people to be active.

As a sector, we play a vital role in supporting the nation’s health and wellbeing. Creating safer, more inclusive environments is central to that mission. This guide is designed to help operators move from policy to practice, embedding safety and reassurance into everyday experiences, and helping more people to feel supported in our spaces which we know can help them meet their health and wellbeing needs.