Charity London Sport has relaunched its Get Active platform to signpost thousands of free and low-cost activity sessions.
Concern around physical and mental health of poorest families in the capital as activity levels drop due to cost of living crisis.
LONDON, UK | London Sport, a charity helping Londoners live longer, happier and healthier lives through being active, has launched a platform to help people take part in free and low-cost activities at home and in their local area.
‘Get Active’ is a platform accessible from mobile and desktop which features thousands of online workouts, at-home family activities, and – using a postcode finder – local activities including Park Run and classes such as martial arts or street dance. Designed to help Londoners reap the physical and mental health benefits of an active life, London Sport hopes that the platform can help communities who have been forced to reduce their activity levels due to the cost of living crisis.
A London Sport report published earlier this year found that nearly half of adult Londoners are already doing less exercise and sport due to the increased cost of living. This figure jumps to nearly eight in ten for households earning under £30,000.
The launch of Get Active from London Sport follows Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s recent announcement, planning to freeze income tax thresholds and cut government spending, which is expected to negatively impact many aspects of everyday life, including the provision of sport and physical activity.
Speaking about the updated platform, London Sport’s CEO, Emily Robinson, said: “With families facing increasing financial pressures, particularly those who already face the greatest challenges of inequality in the city, it is understandable that activity levels have fallen. However, we know the benefits that an active lifestyle can bring to Londoners, from improving mental and physical health, tackling loneliness, and even helping children perform better at school. That’s why we want to make it as easy for possible for communities to be active and mitigate the health and wellbeing challenges of the cost of living crisis”.
On top of the ability to find local sessions and ground, there is a range of exercise options available on the Get Active platform, suitable for beginners, families, and individuals who may find it harder to be active on a day-to-day basis. Content featured on the platform includes Parasports workouts, Wheelpower workouts and ‘Let’s move with Leon’, catering towards people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Trying to improve activity levels amongst younger audiences (half of children in London are not meeting recommended levels of activity), the platform also includes Couch to Family Fit, a 4-week programme for families to participate in together, and Disney’s 10-minute Shake Up which uses gamification to help families stay active.
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