Residents invited to Move More every day to boost health

Published on 5 September 2023

The benefits of moving more for our physical and mental health are well known - and the District Council and its partners are inviting individuals, communities and organisations across the Moorlands to boost their health and wellbeing by building movement into their daily lives and joining the Movement for Movement.

Being active for more than 150 minutes a week is enough to benefit your health. In Staffordshire Moorlands, approximately 12,000 people don't do any physical activity.

To address that, the Move More Staffordshire Moorlands strategy has been developed - a ten-year plan setting out why moving is important, what needs to be done to enable people to get involved and how we will do it.

The new strategy has been developed in partnership, through a collaborative process involving a growing range of people and partners.

Together, our aim is for everyone across the Moorlands to move more every day  and to provide greater support to those that need it most.

Councillor Matt Swindlehurst, Cabinet member for Leisure and Tourism, said: "I'm delighted that we're now launching this important strategy aimed at improving the physical and mental health of all our residents.

"It has been very satisfying to work in collaboration with a wide range of partners in creating a strategy which will help residents right across the District in getting out and about more.

"We're inviting people to reimagine how they can move more, from walking and gardening, to the perhaps more recognised activities like going to organised fitness classes, swimming or playing sport. I hope people across the Moorlands take up the invitation and get involved so that, together, we can make a real difference."

Being active not only helps individuals, it benefits communities and wider society and has positive knock-on effects on the economy, environment and our National Health Service.

Achieving the vision will take a collective effort from individuals, communities and organisations. The Council and its partners want everyone to get involved and you can help by:

·       Being a Move More advocate - share the strategy and consider how your community or organisation can get involved

·       Inspiring others to move more - share why it matters to you and ask others why it matters to them and how they would like to get moving more

·       Working with us to implement the priorities set out in the strategy

Find out more on the Move More website