About the movement

From teachers, housing associations to local social media influencers, our movement is made up from a variety of dedicated local public bodies, private companies, charities, community based organisations and individuals. Anyone and everyone can benefit. Anyone and everyone can contribute.

We’re specifically interested in hearing from five key groups; those involved in Slimming World; professionals involved in the treatment of type 2 diabetes; voluntary or community groups; clinicians supporting patients to be active prior to surgery; and all health professionals who feel like they have an idea that could help get better outcomes for people.

Our vision is ‘active lives as a way of life’.

We want to see physical activity being incorporated into people’s lives without a second thought. We want to see people choosing to walk to the shops, trying cycling to work and families heading to the park to play. We want to see teenagers interested in sport all the way through school, a reduction in those getting diabetes type 2 and less people needing to lose weight before surgery.

Every small change adds up and this is the key message of our public-facing campaign. Your personal best doesn’t have to show you’re the strongest or the fastest, just that you’ve tried.

We are specifically targeting three communities of interest:

• Those who have, or are at risk of developing, diabetes type 2: The cost of diabetes to the NHS is over £1.5m an hour. That’s £25,000 every minute. Approximately 90% of people living with diabetes in the UK have Type 2 and each year more and more people are diagnosed. This is largely caused by lifestyle factors such as inactivity, smoking and diet. We want to work with practices across the South Tees to develop innovative ways of supporting patients to achieve remission through being more active as well as providing nutritional support. Could you or your organisation help us with this?
• Those attending slimming world: These sessions are popular across South Tees, delivering sessions to over 6,500 members (this makes up about 3% of the adult population in South Tees). Evidence shows that these are effective at reducing body mass and improving other health measures. This work has not always been linked to physical activity; we are working with Slimming World consultants to increase the prevalence of physical activity through their members. Slimming World provide a structured, ready-made network to engage with, but we have to balance our vision with their commercial aspirations and strike a mutually beneficial position with which we can utilise to support people locally.
• Those who have been asked to lose weight prior to surgery: About 30%-50% of all patients presenting for major surgery locally are classed as physically inactive, are active smokers and / or consume alcohol to an ‘excessive’ level. This, unfortunately, presents huge problems when they need surgery. Prehabilitation is an emerging health care concept that prescribes physical activity introduced before major surgery to improve post-operative outcomes. 90% of patients have said that they would actually be willing to undertake physical activity with the right support. Do you or your organisation have the power to influence this?

We are narrowing our attention and efforts within specific focus wards in the South Tees area so that we can create maximum impact. These areas are:

• North Ormesby
• Brambles & Thorntree
• Grangetown
• Southbank

These focus wards were chosen because of the significant levels of need and stubborn health inequalities that prevail within them. They were also chosen because of the assets, resilience and potential we believe is being unlocked within these communities – there is a huge opportunity to transform people’s lives in these areas. The communities here have seen significant change over the last 20 years, both physically and culturally but unfortunately previous initiatives have unfortunately not brought about any lasting changes for these places. This is our chance to change that, but for good.

There are two main ways you can get involved. You can join our wider force of activists, influencers and visionaries in pledging to do your bit in making our vision of ‘active lives as a way of life’ a reality. Alternatively, you can step it up a gear and become an ambassador or supporter, championing the cause in a big way. You’ll attend the regular ‘Exchange’ where our ambassadors, supporters and core leadership team have the chance to meet up and talk about what they’ve been doing to make active lives a way of life. It’s a great opportunity for networking and learning too.