Greater Manchester is on a mission. That mission is to be the physical activity capital of the world.
One year on from the launch of our partnership with key public sector bodies in the city, mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has committed his leadership to the ambitious four-year plan to get Greater Manchester moving.
Current picture
Greater Manchester (GM) Moving aims to secure the fastest and greatest improvement to the health, wealth and wellbeing of the 2.8 million residents in the city region.
With statistics suggesting that 38 per cent of people living in the city region are not active enough to benefit their health, this partnership couldn’t be more timely.
The cost to the NHS in the area reaches £26.7m per year and an estimated one in six deaths can be attributed to sedentary lifestyles.
We know that many of the leading causes of ill health could be prevented if people were to play more sport and increase their overall levels of physical activity.
Tackling barriers
By working alongside Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, we’re aiming to tackle the barriers people currently face to getting active.
“Given our love of sport, Greater Manchester should be the most active part of the country, but too many people are trapped in their cars,” says Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
“We need to encourage the people in our city region to move more, to cycle and walk and maximise the contribution to being a healthy society.”