AWRC Voices: Physical Activity Clinical Champions mark important milestone

On Wednesday 25 February 2026, the Physical Activity Clinical Champion (PACC) National and Place-Based trainers gathered at Sheffield Hallam University for a forward-focused training and planning day. PACC Senior Administrator, Christine Taylor reflects on the event for AWRC Voices.

Bringing together the trainers, consortium members and partners for a dedicated training and planning day marked an important milestone for the PACC 2026–28 programme. The purpose was clear: to strengthen connections across the Health Care network, deepen understanding of the programme’s direction of travel, and build confidence in articulating the value of PACC; particularly as we expand our place-based approach over the next two years.

The day centred on the three core principles underpinning the programme: peer-led, place-based and evidence-driven. Interactive sessions on health coaching and behaviour change reinforced the foundations of effective physical activity conversations in clinical care, while strategic updates positioned PACC clearly within wider system priorities.

Workshops explored the current national and local climate, highlighting what’s working well, where challenges remain, and who and which settings are still hardest to reach. We then looked ahead to defining the current PACC audience, exploring expansion, and strengthening the value of place-based PACC within local health systems and the NHS 10-Year Plan.

The away day reinforced PACC as a connected, peer-led movement embedded within local systems, driving culture change around physical activity in healthcare.

If you’d like to find out more please visit: PACC – Moving Medicine or email: PACC@shu.ac.uk