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January is a difficult month for many of us. It’s dark, cold, wet and the glow of the festive season feels a long time ago.

But it’s also a moment when millions of people make a conscious decision to reset – to move more and invest in their health.

That’s why January matters so much for gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres. It’s consistently their busiest month of the year and not just because of New Year’s resolutions.

But beyond the first month of the year, there is a growing understanding that physical activity is preventative medicine and that a healthy population drives a healthy economy.

The places we move are of critical importance.

Earlier this week, alongside ukactive, I visited three very different facilities in one day – across both the public and private sector.

What struck me was how similar the stories were.

Operators talked about strong footfall, rising memberships and people coming through the doors for more than just exercise.

They’re coming for health, of course – but also for confidence, connection, and support.

This feels vitally important in a time that is characterised by increasing isolation, screens and polarised views.

Spaces open to everybody

Another feature which stood out was the remarkable diversity of the people there – from teenagers arriving in their uniforms after school, to the group of retirees who had originally been referred by the next door hospital and now were coming four days a week (and spending as much time over lunch as in the class).

It was also fantastic to see the level of innovation and use of technology to bring health and leisure closer together – with sophisticated health checks, devising personalised programmes for each individual, linking to 'e-gyms' and other virtual support.

This is the preventative health agenda in action. It’s getting active from the ground up and it sits at the heart of our ambition at Sport England, working with our partners to help millions more people become active.

January brings this ambition to life, but the real story is what’s happening year-round.

The scale and growth of the gym and leisure sector are significant.

The UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025 shows a record 11.5 million people are now members of a health or fitness club – up 6.1% on the previous year – with 616 million facility visits recorded, an increase of 8.2%.

These are not short-term spikes. Participation has been growing over consecutive years, supported by a unique infrastructure of public, private, large, medium and independent operators working across the country.
 

Sport England’s Active Lives Adults survey 2023-24 reinforces this picture.

Fitness activities and swimming continue to be major drivers of physical activity behind walking, with 904,000 more adults taking part compared to the previous year.

Demand is being driven by what people value most.

Polling from ukactive shows that 77% of members join a gym or leisure facility primarily to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

People also cite better sleep, increased confidence, managing health conditions and making new friends. This is about quality of life, not just physical fitness.

We’re also seeing important shifts in who is taking part. Female participation continues to grow, particularly through group exercise and classes.

Projects like Safer Spaces to Move, delivered with This Girl Can, are helping to remove barriers and make facilities more welcoming and safer for women.

Key community assets

Our latest Moving Communities report shows participation in public leisure has increased for every age group over 45, while gym activity is rising among under-16s, over-65s and people living in the most deprived communities.

Since 2017, the number of children and young people taking part in gym and fitness activity has increased by more than 12%.

Standards matter too. Facilities are improving every year, driven by initiatives such as The Active Standard, Quest and FitCert, ensuring that quality, safety and inclusion keep pace with growing demand.

All of this sits squarely within the Government’s priorities for economic growth and improving the NHS through the 10-year plan.

Health drives wealth and the social value created by being active is immense.

The sector contributes £122.9 billion in social value each year, including £15.9 billion in healthcare savings and £106.9 billion in wellbeing value – the equivalent of £2,600 per active adult – and more than double that for people with long-term health conditions or disabilities.

We gain £6 billion in productivity, thanks to a healthier workforce that takes fewer sick days.

The sector creates £5.7 billion in revenue and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, many for young people at the start of their working lives.

These are extraordinary numbers.

January is important. But the real opportunity lies beyond it.

Gyms and leisure centres are not just places we go at the start of the year; they – and the people that work in them – are essential community assets, powering healthier lives, stronger communities and a more resilient economy all year round.
 

On 26 November the Chancellor will deliver a much-anticipated budget.

In her pre-budget video message, the Chancellor has described the pressure on the NHS and the challenge of increasing growth, but among all the uncertainty, one thing is clear – finding the right package of measures will not be easy.

Against this backdrop, it feels timely to be publishing an update to our social value of sport and physical activity work. 

The new and expanded information shows what a positive force community sport and physical activity are.

A great cure with many benefits

The health and wellbeing benefits of sport and physical activity are well rehearsed and the UK Chief Medical Officers have previously described physical activity as the closest thing to a “miracle cure”, but based on the information we’ve published today, even that high praise seems to sell its value short.

Here are a few of the headlines from our latest data:

• Sport and physical activity are good for the nation’s wellbeing and health. In 2023/24, the wellbeing value of sport and physical activity was estimated at £107 billion, and it prevented over 3.3 million cases of non-communicable diseases or chronic health conditions ranging from depression to heart disease. 
• A more active nation means a more productive workforce. In 2023/24, £5.8bn of productivity losses due to morbidity were avoided due to sport and physical activity. 
• A more active nation saves the health care system money. In 2023/24, sport and physical activity saved £8bn in direct healthcare costs through disease prevention and reduced use of health services. 
• Community sport and physical activity is a net contributor to the public finances. In 2023, our sector generated tax revenue of £14bn for central government, compared with £2bn of public sector funding. This means community sport and physical made a net fiscal contribution of £12bn.

Furthermore, we know that sport and physical activity is a significant part of the economy. In fact, the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s 2024 Sport Satellite Account for the UK show that the direct contribution of sport and physical activity the English economy was £47 billion of gross value added and supports one million jobs.

So, from a public policy perspective, what’s not to like?!
 

The value of sport and physical activity is significant and wide-ranging but with the right support it could be even greater.

The information published today also includes our estimate of the social cost of inequality in sport and physical activity, that is the amount of social value we miss out on because some groups of people are less likely to be active than others.  

We estimate this to be £19.6bn a year.

Tackling inequality in sport and physical activity, and realising this value, is at the core of our long-term strategy, Uniting the Movement, so I’d like to end by paraphrasing the Chancellor: “I commend the value of sport and physical activity to the House.”

Sport changed my life. I have vivid childhood memories of being driven all over North Yorkshire by my mum and dad.

We spent our Saturdays going from one brilliant and unique cricket ground to another, and I can still hear those echoes of leather on willow when I see them today.

Those weekends set off a lifelong love affair with cricket and the county I’m proud to call home, and even more proud to represent every day as a Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Everyone should have the same opportunities to get moving that I did, and that is why I am proud to launch the £2.75 million Movement, Activity and Sport fund.

Bringing the joy of movement to everybody

This is the first of the funds to be launched under my Moving Forward campaign and we are working closely with partners to make sure this investment targets support for those who need it most.

Beyond the health benefits, there aren’t many better ways provided by sport and physical activity to meet new people and build strong relationships in our local communities.

However, this is particularly key in our rural and coastal areas, where there are some pockets of real deprivation.

Too often families cannot get over the hurdle of costly cricket bats, football kits or transport to games, which means that those who would benefit the most aren’t able to get involved.

But by funding activities for those who might otherwise turn to anti-social behaviour, we can change lives and make our towns and villages a better place to live.
 

Our research tells us that over 30% of adults are classed as physically inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of exercise a week, and that over 60% are overweight or obese, increasing the risk of long-term health conditions.

But this reality can be turned, and early intervention and prevention can make a big difference.

We can help that by making positive choices like introducing physical activity in our day to day, by considering more walking, wheeling and cycling for our working commute or to meet up with friends.

We are moving in the right direction, but there’s still so much more work to do!

After years of being ignored or minimised, women’s sport is getting the recognition it deserves with success after success for our national rugby and football teams, but girls still don’t get the same opportunity to get moving when compared to boys.

Moving forward together 

I have seen that first hand, because while my son had the pick of so many football clubs, we struggled to find one for our daughter. How can that be happening in 2025?

This plays out with so many families across the region and the UK every year, and it’s a big reason why girls are more likely to stop playing sport when they become teenagers. But we can also change that.

By enhancing skills development and training in the sector, alongside offering more inclusive activities, we will also tackle the barriers that people with disabilities face.

Disabled people are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive, but by working together with our partners we can start to improve those numbers and change lives.

My Moving Forward campaign is about backing people across our region to build the healthy and thriving communities they deserve. 

I believe in the power of our communities, the people and local organisations that keep them going.  

Our work is made so much easier thanks to the support of our strategic partners, including North Yorkshire Sport and the Place Universal Offer from Sport England and I’m truly excited about these, because together we can achieve so much more!

The best part of my job is seeing the huge impact that hard-working groups have on their neighbourhoods.

They know what they need, and we will work with them every step of the way as we continue Moving Forward together.
 

When most people picture senior Black men, they don’t immediately see us smashing forehand drives, diving for edge-of-the-table shots or celebrating doubles-wins with a triumphant chest bump (yes, it happens!).

But step inside an Over 50s Black Men Forum Table Tennis Centre and you’ll quickly realise that the sport is not just a pastime – it is medicine. It is therapy. And it is comedy.

A ping-pong ball, we often say, can travel faster than a GP appointment letter, making these centres our hidden health clubs.

But behind the rallies and the laughter, there is serious work underway.

A man that had survived a stroke mentioned that, as well as camaraderie and encouragement, table tennis had helped him physically by helping him improve hand-eye coordination, building his confidence and combating post-stroke fatigue.

These voices remind us that this forum is more than sport. It is hope, dignity, recovery and community.

Rewriting the narrative

Black History Month is here and the importance of rewriting health inequality narratives becomes even clearer.

Too often older Black men are described as "hard to reach”, but our response is simple: “we are not hard to reach; we are not being seen”.

The reality is stark – Black men in the UK shoulder a disproportionate burden of chronic disease.

Rates of hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes remain consistently higher than those of their White counterparts.

And we can’t forget that Black men are also more at risk of prostate cancer, so it's always a good idea to use Prostate Cancer UK’s risk-checker.

These inequalities are deeply rooted and cannot be resolved overnight, yet the work of the Over 50s Black Men Forum shows what is possible when solutions are shaped by, and for, the community.

By creating culturally-relevant, community-led, spaces we have not only encouraged men to take part in sport, but also to engage in their own health and wellbeing.

They arrive for the table tennis, but they return with their friends and, together, they build something far greater than the game itself: a hidden health club where camaraderie, wellness and dignity thrive.

Our first regional competition

This September, we hosted the UK’s first Older Black Men Community Table Tennis Competition, bringing nearly 70 men together from Essex and Bedfordshire. The atmosphere was electric!

Chelmsford proudly lifted the singles trophy, while Luton triumphed in the doubles. There were cheers, groans and more than one disputed line call.

Even Westminster took notice and Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, celebrated her local players with a shout-out in Parliament.

Table Tennis England joined us in the hall, the Mayor of Luton presented trophies and the Sport England logo stood proudly across the venue.

It was more than a competition; it was a statement that older Black men belong in the story of sport, health and community.

Serving the future

We are proud of what has been built so far, with seven hubs running and more on the way. But this is just the beginning.

Our vision is to embed these centres nationwide, creating a network where sport and health go hand-in-hand for older Black men.

And the best part? The model is replicable!

What works in Luton can work in Leeds and what works in Southend can work in Sheffield, because at its core, this is not just about table tennis.

It is about dignity, community and the belief that everyone deserves the chance to live longer, healthier and happier lives.