Commonwealth medallists Liz Yelling and Lisa Dobriskey have been helping Leicestershire and Rutland Sport launch their Active Together campaign.

Officially launched on 15th January, the Active Together campaign aims to make sport and physical activity more accessible to local communities in Leicestershire.

The campaign is focussing particularly on hard to reach groups including older people and disaffected youths, targeting deprived communities, and rural areas within the county.

Sport England contributed over half of the total funding secured to run the campaign with the Local Area Agreement (LAA) supplying an additional £323,000.  An extra £45,000 came from local partners.  The money has funded the placement of 11 new Physical Activity Coordinators that will organise and deliver tailored activity programmes in each district. This is the largest fitness initiative of its kind Britain.

Marathon runner, Liz Yelling joined regulars and newcomers at a Salsa Aerobics class in Oadby, Leicestershire.

She said, “Exercise doesn’t need to be painful and the salsa aerobics class is a great example of how to enjoy keeping fit. It’s all about people finding something that is sustainable and right for them.”

1500m runner, Lisa Dobriskey tried out Nordic Walking in Harborough as part of a regular organised walk.  She said, “Nordic Walking gives your whole body a workout, I was really impressed!  It was wonderful to see people of different ages and abilities all getting the chance to try something new that will bring real benefits to their health.”

Physical Activity Coordinator for Harborough, Marianne Boyle was thrilled with the launch event, she said, “There has been a fantastic turnout today and I am really optimistic about the future of the campaign.”

Caron Walpole, Sports Development Manager at Leicestershire & Rutland Sport oversees the Active Together campaign, she said, “This campaign aims to break down the barriers that prevent people from participating in physical activity and improve quality of life in the county through sport.  Wherever possible the activities are being provided free of charge or at a discounted rate.”

She continued, “The co-ordinators have gone out in to the community and asked people what they want, to ensure we are channelling our energy in a direction that will produce real results.  We are asking local businesses, charities and organisations to encourage their employees to take part in the events to get the whole community involved.”

Tony Kershaw, Leicestershire County Council cabinet lead member for the LAA, said, “Only by working closely with key service providers, such as Leicestershire and Rutland Sport can we hope to meet our targets.  The activities that are being organised provide excellent opportunities for local people to get involved in physical activity and help improve their overall health.”

The Active Together campaign has been launched by Leicestershire and Rutland Sport, a County Sports Partnership (CSP) funded by Sport England.  The campaign is being supported by Leicestershire Together, the Leicestershire Local Strategic Partnership, through the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the Sport England Community Investment Fund.

The recent Active People Survey, commissioned by Sport England indicated that Leicestershire ranked the highest in the East Midlands with 22.3% of the population participating in regular exercise compared to the national average of 20.8% (this result still only amounts to one in five people).

The Local Area Agreement, which aims to improve the health of local people, wants to increase this figure to just under 27% over the next three years. An extra £1.2 million will be given to the LAA from central government to spend on services if it meets this target.