How swimmer Barry is still inspiring people to be active

Every year more people use sporting facilities in the district, thanks to an innovative campaign which is now in its 11th year.

B Active encourages people to take part in activities to boost their fitness levels. It involves a wide range of sports from swimming to zumba, table tennis and sailing. Seated exercise following the Extend programme, for the less able, also features as well as classes for babies and toddlers. The campaign has given out more than 50 awards to people who have taken up regular exercise and in so doing improved their lives.

Since it began more than 20 million people have taken part in a class or an activity at a Council-run venue - a rise of five per cent.

"We get around two million visits a year - that's a further 200,000 visits annually, as a result of b active (CORRECT)," says Andrew Burns, the Council's business development manager for sport and leisure services. "

The campaign has included the issuing of free pedometers to 12,000 residents to encourage them to take more exercise. “The majority were given to community groups and those with existing health concerns,” says Andrew Burns, the Council's business development manager for sport and leisure services. “More recently we have linked our programme of activity with the change for life programme and now run sessions called fit4life CORRECT, aimed at the less active.”

He points out that increased levels of fitness among the population can help to reduce pressure on the NHS. At present inactivity is said to cost the country 8.2billion every year. The benefits of getting people more active include cutting obesity levels, minimising the number of obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, and reducing the risk of some cancers.

National studies have shown that campaigns which are most successful in achieving increases in participation have run long-term campaigns. Over the years, b active incentives to encourage more people to adopt a healthier lifestyle have included free swimming, 50p swims, and two-for-one offers during school holidays.

People are alerted to the campaign through various channels including the NHS GP's events website, SMS messaging, mobile apps, seasonal supplements such as School's Out, and publicity surrounding local events. Links are forged with local businesses, offering incentives to get fit, such as corporate gym memberships.

Retired printer Barry Watson swam from France to England at the age of 26. After many more record breaking swims, he abandoned his sport for a quarter of a century - then, thanks to b active, he once again found himself back in the water - in Bingley Pool. He is one of many people across Bradford who have rediscovered their love of a certain sport, or discovered a new one.

“Andrew got me involved," he says, "I would encourage people to swim at Bingley Pool. I would swim up and down - I didn't do more than that, and I really enjoyed it. It made me realise how much I missed it.”

Four times a year b active awards honour those like Barry, who was given the accolade at the first awards ten years ago and has not looked back.

Other members of the public who have won include people who recovered from major illnesses by undergoing rigorous exercise regimes, stroke victims who have fought back through exercise and people who have lost weight through keeping fit.

High profile sporting events such as the Olympics, Tour de France and national Sky Ride event, lead to more people taking up certain activities. “We have noticed a huge take up in cycling since the Olympics, and then again since the Tour de France,” says Andrew. The number taking part in Sky Ride increases every year.

The pioneering b active campaign has influenced other local authorities, who have adopted similar schemes.

Councillor Andrew Thornton (Lab), councillor for environment, sport and sustainability, says: "B active has been really successful. All the individual stories are fantastic achievements for the people who have focused upon physical activity, and turned their lives

around. It is really motivating and the great thing is that it involves people from across the district."

Next year, he adds, will see closer integration with public health services. "We know that physical activity, or lack of it is one of the key determinates of a healthier lifestyle, so we want to draw that together to get more people in the district more active on a regular basis."