JESSICA TAYLOR LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO ‘SWEAT IN THE CITY’

01.09.08

Former Liberty X singer, Jessica Taylor is urging women from across the Capital to ‘work (out) just a little bit more’ with the launch of Sweat in the City. From a treadmill on the banks of the Thames, the wife of new England cricket captain today championed the innovative scheme designed to get more women active.  

Sweat in the City is offering 3,000 16 – 24 year old women who live in London and currently do little or no exercise, a unique package of free and mentored gym membership. The 12 week scheme (29th September – 21st December) hopes to have women reaching for their trainers and discovering a fitter, healthier and happier them; those interested in taking part should sprint along to www.sweatinthecity.co.uk now.

This new campaign is being run by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) in partnership with the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) and follows WSFF research showing that 81% of women don’t do enough physical exercise to benefit their health. By working with the participants WSFF hopes to learn valuable lessons on the barriers and motivations surrounding physical activity for women.

Jessica Taylor commented: “Exercise can be daunting – especially if you haven’t done any for a while - so it’s great to have a scheme like Sweat in the City help make it more social and less scary! Whether dancing or going to the gym, I have always been active so I know the benefits - both physically and in terms of self esteem. I hope other women discover these plus points too.”

WSFF Chief Executive, Sue Tibballs said: “Young women aged between16 to 24 are half as active as young men – a statistic Sweat in the City will help us tackle.

“The scheme provides us with a unique way to speak to women and better understand how to inspire them to become, and stay, active. With the British female athletes doing so well in Beijing and our attention turning to 2012, we hope women from across London will feel inspired to take part.”

Women can register for the free places at www.sweatinthecity.co.uk and choose from the over 100 London health and fitness clubs that have signed up to the scheme.  Successful registrants will receive exclusive access to: the Sweat in the City online social network, fortnightly group exercise sessions and support from an online mentor.

Andree Dean, Chief Executive of the FIA commented: "Research shows that inactivity in girls and young women can have a profound impact on their psychological as well as physical well being, which is why 100 London gyms have decided to donate their facilities and expertise free of charge.

"As a nation, we have to better understand the drivers and the hurdles girls and young women face if we are to excite them, motivate them and sustain their desire to lead more active and healthy lifestyles".

Following the three month programme all the participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire on their experience and to help keep them motivated to stay active, given information on how they can keep sweating in the City! Information on a variety of London-based activities will be distributed including details of gyms, sports clubs and exercise groups.

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For more information, please contact:

Rebecca Drury at Lexis Public Relations on 020 7908 6442 / rdrury@lexispr.com

Nina Cresswell at Lexis Public Relations on 020 7908 6406 / ncresswell@lexispr.com

Notes to editors

•The Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) and over 100 health and fitness clubs in London are supporting Sweat in the City - with financial backing from Lottery Funding through Sport England London.

•WSFF is a small campaigning charity (Registered Charity No. 1060267) trying to encourage women across the UK to get fitter and healthier. Sweat in the City is just one project to help WSFF achieve that goal.

•As the industry trade body, the FIA represents all organisations within the fitness industry. It represents over 2000 operator sites in the public and private sectors.