West Yorkshire’s populations leading way in adopting more active lifestyles
Latest research from Sport England has shown a significant increase in the number of adults in West Yorkshire who regularly take part in sport and active recreation.
Figures from the second year of The Active People Survey demonstrate that over the last two years, the number of adults aged 16 and over in West Yorkshire who participate in 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport and active recreation at least three times a week has increased by 7% (107,000 people) from 16.8% in the period from mid October 2005 to mid January 2006 to 23.8% in the period from mid October 2007 to mid January 2008.
The increase in sports participation across Yorkshire and the Humber is the largest of all the English regions. Figures from the recent survey show that over the last two years, the number of adults who have participated in sport and active recreation has increased by 160,000.
The number of people aged 16 and over doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport and active recreation at least three days a week has increased by 3.5% from 17.7% in the period from mid October 2005 to mid January 2006 to 21.2% in the period from mid October 2007 to mid January 2008.
Sport England Yorkshire and the four Yorkshire County Sports Partnerships have been actively working to increase the number of people participating in sport and aiding the development of talent through the funding and support of community projects.
The latest figures – that are indicative as they only compare the first quarter results of the recent survey with the first quarter results of the survey that was carried out two years ago – suggest their work is proving successful.
"This is a very encouraging result for West Yorkshire," said Nigel Harrison, Director of West Yorkshire Sport, the organisation tasked with coordinating sport across the county.
"There is a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes across the region to support sport and active leisure, so when you see figures like this its heartening to see the difference it makes.
"We believe that we can build on this momentum and bring even more people back into our wonderful world of sport with all its benefits of health and enjoyment. For more details on how you can get more from sport, go to our website, www.westyorkshiresport.co.uk"
David Gent, Regional Director of Sport England said; “How wonderful that the latest results show the Yorkshire region leading the way in motivating more people to get involved in sport.
“With a seven per cent increase in sports participation in West Yorkshire and nearly a six per cent increase in the Humber, we have really raised the bar. Yorkshire has an unrivalled sporting identity and it is great to see that more people are starting to give up the comfort of their armchair for the fun and excitement of taking part in sport. The challenge now is to continue this progress and motivate even more people into sport.”
Breaking the percentage figures down by age, it was the region’s 35-54 age group that saw the biggest leap in sports participation, with a 5.7% increase from 17.6% to 23.3%.
Male participation in sport and active recreation increased by 4.8 percentage points from 20.7% to 25.5%, whilst participation among adults with a long term limiting disability increased by 4.1% from 8.1% to 12.2%.