Active living partnership launches in North East

A new charity – called Rise – has been launched to develop more active communities across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.

The new partnership has created through the merger of two previously independent organisations – Tyne & Wear Sport and Northumberland Sport.

Research has shown that inactivity is twice as deadly as obesity.

In the UK one in six deaths is due to inactivity.

The North East has the second highest levels of inactivity in the UK, almost 40% of adults in Tyne & Wear and 30% of adults in Northumberland are not achieving the Chief Medical Officer’s minimum requirements of 30 minutes per day of moderate to intense physical activity.

More than 50% of children and young people in the UK are not meeting Chief Medical Officer guidelines of taking part in sport and physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day.

At the same time, the cost of inactivity on the economy, including the treatment of diseases and sickness absence, is in excess of £10bn per year in England.

‘Our aim is to help our strategic partners to achieve their desired goals by incorporating physical activity into their solutions, and to help create a more active approach to life and travel for residents in our area,’ said Rise chief executive, Clare Morely (pictured).

‘Achieving these aims involves working with a broad range of local, regional and national partners including six local authorities, NHS, Sport England, businesses, education settings and the justice system  to create the conditions for success across a wide range of projects.

‘Our purpose is to offer guidance, information, insight and expertise to achieve fundamental and sustained increases in the number of people participating in regular physical activity, with a particular focus on underrepresented and disadvantaged community groups,’ she added.

To mark the launch, Rise will be running a week-long series of online events for its existing as well as potential partners and will be available to view from Monday morning at www.wearerise.co.uk/launch.

These include an introduction from Clare Morley, Rise chief executive. Dr William Bird MBE from Intelligent Health explaining the multiple health benefits of participating in physical activity, Rob Murfin, director of planning from Northumberland County Council, providing a local viewpoint and insight into the socio-economic impact that can be created by incorporating physical activity into planning spaces, and an overview of how COVID-19 has affected physical activity by Lisa O’Keefe from Sport England.

Photo Credit – Rise