Every Body Active Programme gets the thumbs up in new report

Council's Health and Community Committee have called for the extension of a special health and wellbeing programme that has been getting thousands of local people involved in wide range of healthy activities.

The Committee heard today that in 2019/20 alone, 12,345 participants of all ages and abilities took part in the Every Body Active Programme, taking on new fitness challenges at venues across the City and District.

This is the fourth and final year of the programme which has been delivered by Derry City and Strabane District Council's team of six coaches as part of a regional programme geared towards boosting physical and mental health and wellbeing. £6.2m has been channelled into the programme across the eleven Councils to date by Sport NI.

After hearing a report on the many positive outcomes of the programme at today's virtual Health and Community meeting, Members praised the team involved on their success in motivating and helping people back into fitness. They agreed to write to Sport NI to explore the possibility of further support to extend the scheme.​

The report highlighted that of the thousands who took part in the past year, 55% of adult participants reported that they either 'never engaged in sport or physical activity or only engaged once a week' before getting involved. 100% of adult participants 'enjoyed the programme or thought it was great.'

Positive enjoyment of the programme was also reported by participants aged 4-11 – with 100% of participants giving it the thumbs up. 99% of local adults indicated that they wished to continue taking part in the activity or sport they engaged in during the Every Body Active programme. 92% of adults reported that their frequency of taking part in sport or physical activity had actually increased.

The programme was delivered in a wide variety of settings including Community buildings, schools, leisure centres and sports clubs, ensuring that everyone had access to activities in their local area.

Vice Chair of the Health and Community Committee, Cllr Raymond Barr, said it was a fantastic achievement. "I have heard great feedback about the EBA Programme, and today's latest report demonstrates the wide ranging impact it is having in the local community. It's an important component of Council's commitment to promoting health and wellbeing which is outlined as one of the key objectives in our Strategic Growth Plan.

"The positive feedback from the public who report that not only have they enjoyed the programme, but that it has changed their attitude to exercise in general and given them more self-confidence, is testament to its effectiveness. Fitness has risen on the agenda over the past year as a way of alleviating stress and promoting health during the ongoing pandemic, and I hope that we will see continued support for the EBA programme long into the future."

The EBA programme finishes up in March 2021. This year the Programme has had to adapt to reflect the restrictions around Covid19, offering a wide ranging outdoor programme including children's Sports Camps, Walk, Jog Run and Cycling challenges to help get the whole family active.