Cheshire East ‘best in the North West’ for physical activity

 

Cheshire East residents are the most physically active in the North West region, according to a new survey.

The annual Active People Survey results have just been released and residents in Cheshire East came top of the tree – part of a picture that shows that significant improvements are being made nationally in getting people more active.

For people aged 16 and above there has been a more than 5.5 per cent rise since 2005 in those taking part in physical activities. This figure now stands at 42.7 per cent.

Councillor Paul Bates, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for communities and health, said: “It is a key priority for the Council to ensure that our communities are given every opportunity to improve their physical wellbeing and stay healthy.

“These figures confirm that, as a Borough, we are doing extremely well in this respect. However, I realise that there is still much work to do. This is a great achievement but it’s just the beginning of improvements for residents in Cheshire East.”

Andrew Kolker, chairman of Everybody Sport and Recreation, who operate leisure services on behalf of the council said: “The latest figures from the Active People Survey put Cheshire East firmly on the map for increasing participation in sport and physical activity.

“Everybody participation numbers have grown from 2.7 million in 2014 to more than 2.85 million last year, a six per cent increase in our community taking part in healthy recreation. These figures show the commitment we have taken to encourage and support our community to get active.  

“Our Everybody Healthy Lifestyle programme during 2015 saw 165 people go from being inactive to active. Since May 2015, we have supported volunteers to achieve over 6,000 volunteer hours delivering sport and physical activity in the community.

“Our partnership with Cheshire East Council has enabled us to provide significant investment in our facilities and show our commitment to assessing the needs of our customers.”

For further information on the survey results please visit: https://www.sportengland.org/research/who-plays-sport/local-picture/