Sport and activity providers from across the city will gather at the Life Centre on Tuesday 19 March for Plymouth’s first ‘Active to Thrive’ conference.
The event, organised by the Council, will bring together professionals from various sectors, as well as regional and national bodies, to share ways of working collaboratively to help people of all ages to be active and well.
Active to Thrive is a Plymouth-wide action plan to help everyone to ‘move more’, particularly encouraging those who are less active, so that they can gain all the health and wellbeing benefits of being active.
Developed across a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including Active Devon and the Council, it looks to improve and promote ways for people to access physical activity and help break down some of the misconceptions around what this means.
Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet Member with responsibility for sport and leisure, said: “Active to Thrive is about helping to showcase all the different ways that people can stay active and the benefits this brings, for both your physical and mental health.
“‘Sport’ can be a scary word for some people and many are put off by costs, access issues, social anxiety or just feeling generally intimidated by the venue. We’re working with partners and residents to remove the many barriers that can discourage people and make sure everyone can access a wide range of activities. We also want to ensure those who are already active can remain so.
“And we want to remind people that being active doesn’t have to mean taking part in a particular sport or joining a club – it could just be taking a regular brisk walk, getting off the bus a few stops early, trying out an e-bike or enjoying the many green and blue spaces we’re so lucky to have.
“This event is a chance for different providers across the city to share their understanding and look at ways of joining up to help as many people as possible take advantage of all the opportunities on their doorstep, as well as create new ones!”
The conference will include presentations from Active Devon, Sport England and Swim England, as well as the Council and Plymouth Active. There will also be workshops on ‘physical literacy’ (looking at people’s experience of physical activity), ‘Buddle’ (a new Sport England support programme) and ageing well.