More adults become physically active in Cherwell than any other region in Oxfordshire per report

Sport England’s Active Lives Study measures activity levels throughout the country.

The latest results indicate 12,200 more adults are now doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, compared to the year before. That equates to an 8.2 per cent rise in physical activity.

There has also been a 5.9 per cent decrease in inactivity, defined as doing less than 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, representing the highest shift in the right direction in both areas across Oxfordshire.

Cllr George Reynolds, Cherwell’s lead member for leisure and sport said: “These numbers reflect a commitment from Cherwell District Council to encourage more residents to take up daily exercise by offering a range of different activities to take part in throughout the district.

“From our FAST programme through to our guided health walks, it’s great to see our residents taking advantage of our schemes to improve their general wellbeing”.

Cherwell now has 16 guided health walks, attracting 481 people, with 117 more walkers signing up last year.

Elsewhere, more than 1,500 households have joined Cherwell’s Families Active Sporting Together (FAST) programme, encouraging parents to take part in regular exercise with their children.

Cherwell works closely with Active Oxfordshire, an organisation which seeks to improve the physical activity levels in the county by helping those most in need.

Active Oxfordshire Chair, Alan Webb, said: "We are absolutely delighted to see these latest results from Cherwell and congratulate them for the significant progress they have made in the fight against inactivity in the county.

“This significant increase in adult activity levels shows what can be achieved by working in partnership and using innovative approaches to break down barriers and reach those most in need.

“The COVID-19 crisis has further underlined the critical importance of staying active, connected and healthy and we look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with Cherwell and sharing best practice countywide."

The results of the survey have only just been released with the figures measuring activity levels during 2019, prior to the COIVD-19 pandemic.

To ensure residents can continue to stay as active as possible during this period, Cherwell has adapted its offering to encourage wellbeing activities which can be done inside.

The activity and wellbeing hub includes specific information from Cherwell, as well as details from partners across the district, offering ways to boost mental and physical wellbeing for families, couples and individuals.

More information can be found at www.cherwell.gov.uk/activity-and-wellbeing-hub.

The Active Lives Study also reveals Oxfordshire as the least inactive county in the entire country with only 17.8 per cent of adults surveyed doing less than 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

Oxfordshire takes second place for having the most active adult population with 67.3 per cent of over 18 year olds doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week.

Oxfordshire’s healthy place shaping programme is lead by Cherwell, developing projects to enable residents to easily incorporate activity into their everyday lives. Experiences gained from the Healthy Bicester partnership are now being shared countywide, helping to embed health and wellbeing at community level.

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