New strategy to support Active lives for all across Greater Manchester

By GreaterSport | 13 September 2021 | TAGS: Strategy

Over 2,000 people across the Greater Manchester system have engaged in conversations about what matters to them to help in shaping the new GM Moving strategy.

GM Moving doesn’t belong to a single organisation, it’s a collective strategy, it’s everyone in Greater Manchester working together with the ambition to encourage people to get moving for a happier, healthier, more connected Greater Manchester and good lives for all.

GM Moving in Action has five key commitments:

1. To enable active lives for all - People, families, communities growing up, getting on, growing old in GM.
2. To widen access and participation – In sport, physical activity, walking, active travel and keeping moving at home and in the community.
3. To design active places – Working together in place and designing for active environments.
4. To increase system integration– Putting people’s physical and mental wellbeing central; tackling inequalities; contributing to stronger, more inclusive communities and economy; playing our part for a greener, more sustainable city region.
5. To reframe moving as the norm –Making moving a normal part of everyday life for all - whoever, wherever and whatever their way, the day, time or weather.

Our ultimate ambition is Active Lives for all across Greater Manchester. Prior to Covid-19 Greater Manchester had achieved record levels of physical activity, and hit the 2021 target of 73% of people fairly active or active. However, our city region has been hit hard by the pandemic. Data released in April 2021 by Sport England, reveals a downturn in adult activity levels. Latest official statistics show Greater Manchester has higher inactivity levels than the England averages, with more than one-in-four (31.1%) adults active for less than 30 minutes a week, despite about 30 minutes a day recommended. 

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester said,

“We’ve seen that we make the most progress when we work as one team on shared missions, using GM’s unique strengths as a city region. GM Moving is one of those missions. The energy and creativity GM Moving creates can be felt across the whole system. We now need even more people and organisations to join in and to work together as part of this ‘movement for movement’. Whether it’s giving people permission to wear their trainers to work, providing more opportunities for our young people to get outside and to reconnect, or making our streets nicer, safer and easier places for people to move about.  Now is the time to embed moving in everything we do.

This strategy is a Call to Action and I would urge you, whoever you are, to get involved.”

Hayley Lever, Exec lead GM Moving said,

"I'm grateful to everyone who has contributed to this work since GM Moving launched in 2015 and especially during such challenging times; to have 2,000 people engage in this process shows how far we've come. I'm looking forward to working with partners and I'm confident that together we can support recovery and active lives for all as we come out of the pandemic."

The strategy launched with a detailed plan, including the story so far and what needs to happen next. This was brought to life with a short film and poem and a new refreshed website which will grow and build, with detailed plans, tools and resources for people across the system to use.

To bring GM Moving in Action into homes and communities across the city-region, a new campaign #KeepMoving also launched today. This campaign is designed to help people think differently about being active, and help to demonstrate the small ways that we can all find opportunities to build movement into our everyday routines.

Starring people from six of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs, the #KeepMoving campaign kicks-off as the region returns to routine after the summer break and the lifting of lockdown restrictions that will see many office-based workers return to pre-pandemic working patterns. These moments of change are proven to be the perfect times to make small lifestyle shifts and design moving back into life.  

The GM Moving in Action strategy can be found here and partners are being invited and welcomed to join in the conversation on twitter #GMMovinginAction; share their hopes for the next 10 years of GM Moving and how they will be contributing to Active Lives for all.