Active Cheshire, the lead body for Sport & Physical Activity in Cheshire and Warrington, ignited the MOVEment by pulling together a wide range of stakeholders from leaders in education, business, community, health and sport alongside local residents and 'inactive experts' to make a pledge, to work together, to create a cultural shift towards and active sub-region.
The call to action, opened by Lord Lieutenant David Briggs, was in response to the physical inactivity crisis that equates to 209,000 adults in Cheshire & Warrington failing to complete 30 minutes of physical activity a week. The impact of which is costing the sub-region £17.5m per year and taking over 900 lives prematurely.
“It is great to see Active Cheshire take this important work forward. There is an urgent need to help get more people off the sofa and get active more often. I will continue to do all that I can to support this vital initiative going forward” David Rutley MP
The focus of the event was about collaboration, working differently and the wide range of attendees all played their role in becoming #PartOfTheMOVEment with input into the 6 workshops discussing both the challenges and opportunities to achieving a physically active population. Individuals also made their own pledge on the day to move more and to encourage others to follow suit.
Active Cheshire CEO, Anne Boyd said, ”Today our sub-region came together, stepping up to tackle physical inactivity. This unity is what is required to get people moving more across Cheshire & Warrington. From schools, to businesses, to communities to individuals, we can all do more to get more active.”
Professor Greg Whyte, physical activity expert and trainer to Sport Relief celebrities David Walliams, Jo Brand and Eddie Izzard, provided the insight into the global problem of physical inactivity. His message was clear, “We need to get people to move more than they are currently doing, these can be simple measures, it doesn’t have to be from zero to hero”
A clear desire to propel Cheshire and Warrington to become the most physically active sub-region in the country was expressed by a passionate and insightful afternoon. Moving forward Active Cheshire will lead on ground breaking research into 'Inactive People' and how to impact their behaviour, a Physical Activity Task Force will provide the leadership, focus and direction to the new MOVEment ensuring it's the consumer focussed approach is integrated across all areas of Cheshire & Warrington.
For more information on the MOVEment, or if any partners in the network are interested in our approach please contact the team at Active Cheshire via 01606 330212, our website www.activecheshire.org/part-of-the-movement or follow us @ActiveCheshire #PartOfTheMOVEment