Industry calls for UK to become most active in Europe

A coalition of more than 200 industry bodies, businesses, charities and elite athletes across sport, physical activity, fitness and recreation have written an open letter to party leaders calling on them to commit to making the UK the most active nation in Europe.

As the main parties announced their manifestos ahead of the General Election, a survey of British adults revealed how the British public is under a misconception that the UK is an active nation.

When asked where they think the UK ranks in Europe’s league table for physical activity, three-quarters (75%) guessed it would feature in the top 10. In fact, the UK is a lowly 11th out of 15 comparable nations.

The letter was organised by the National Sector Partners Group (NSPG) for sport, recreation and physical activity, which made a similar call earlier this year. The letter kickstarted a new campaign launched by the organisations called #TakeTheLead, which will showcase the importance of creating a more active nation and, crucially, highlight the need for leadership by our national politicians to create the conditions for change.

The letter highlights priorities for the new government to focus on to reduce growing inequalities across the UK and drive significant change in activity levels, such as ensuring every child is active for at least 60 minutes every day, cutting red tape holding back growth, and embedding physical activity pathways into health and care systems.

The 226 signatories to the letter range from major health bodies to sport’s national governing bodies, education providers and the nation’s biggest fitness and leisure groups.

The letter outlines the urgent need as well as the “unique opportunity” for any new Government to unlock the full potential of the sport, recreation and physical activity sector, in a move that would be “transformative for communities across the UK”.