Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson confirmed as ukactive Chair

Crossbench Peer and EFDS's Honorary President Tanni Grey-Thompson has been announced as the new independent Chair of not-for-profit health body ukactive.

Baroness Grey-Thompson will turn her seasoned campaigning voice to the crucial issue of turning the tide of physical inactivity over the coming years and ensure that the next government turns rhetoric into action on the inactivity crisis.

Within the announcement that Baroness Grey-Thompson, who is one of the most successful British athletes of all time, set out clear objectives to drive ukactive's campaign to get Britain more active to the heart of future government policy.

These are:

• For the government to have created a long-term, cross-department strategy for the establishment of physical activity best practice across all public bodies

• For the existing work of the physical activity sector to be recognised by government as a key driver of health and wellbeing for the nation

• For the prioritisation of skills and a 'wellbeing workforce' to be recognised and actioned by the relevant government departments

• For physical activity to be a top-tier priority for Public Health England, and for preventative health, led by activity policy, to be a key priority for the Department of Health

• For local authorities and schools to have individual physical activity plans spanning the areas of active travel, leisure provision, active aging and to be supported by central government in the development of these strategies but also to be held to account by government

Over the past two years there has been a fundamental shift in the language used by government and agencies such as Sport England when it comes to discussing physical activity as a health outcome in its own right, independent from its impact on weight management. Baroness Grey-Thompson has said she plans to expand this change in language to definitive action backed up by long-term investment. 

The appointment marks the end of the tenure of Fred Turok who announced his intent to step down from the position at the conclusion of a twelve month consultation reviewing the governance structure of ukactive with the ukactive membership and partners. Turok served as chairman for 8 years and was instrumental in turning ukactive into the leading not for profit national physical activity organisation.

Commenting on her appointment, Baroness Grey-Thompson said:

"With the formation of a new government shortly upon us, there has never been a better time to shout the message of more people, more active, more often loud and clear. I look forward to working with Steve and the ukactive team to make the greatest possible impact on the health of the nation in partnership with the thousands of ukactive members, partners and stakeholders spread the length and breadth of the UK."

For too long, physical activity has been - in the government's eyes - the poor cousin of sport and overshadowed by obesity. The work of ukactive up until this point has thrown into stark relief the fact that inactivity is a killer, and inaction on this issue is no longer an option.

What we have set out today will provide the base for the next five years of campaigning, lobbying and encouraging government and its executives to ensure that we turn good rhetoric into real action in order to turn the tide of inactivity and get every part of our society moving again."

Recent milestones in the inactivity agenda

January 2014

ukactive publishes 'Turning the tide of inactivity' report that shows the rising issue of physical inactivity across the UK. It is the first time that the scale and impact of inactivity was established in this way, providing compelling evidence for establishing it as a public health concern in its own right.

July 2014

Public Health officials joined with physical activity sector compatriots for the first ever Moving More Living More cross-country roadshows.

October 2014

Public Health England responded to the call for a national strategy with the publication of the new National Framework Everybody Active Every Day

October 2014

NHS England publishes its 5 -year Forward View which places preventative health care at the heart of its long-term strategy underpinned by physical activity promotion

November 2014

ukactive releases the follow-up report to Turning the Tide of Inactivity with Steps to Solving Inactivity. The report found that local authorities had since doubled their allocated budgets from public health grants into physical activity.

November 2014

MPs gathered in Westminster for an historic parliamentary debate on physical inactivity. It had been an 800 year wait, but parliament is now on board with the physical inactivity narrative - a clear indication of how far the pendulum has swung.

January 2015

A study by Cambridge University finds that physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity: (http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/lack-of-exercise-responsible-for-twice-as-many-deaths-as-obesity)

February 2015

The Health Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department of Health and its associated bodies. CEO David Stalker giving evidence at the Health Select Committee on 'The impact of physical activity and diet on health'

March 2015

The Health Select Committee Report finds that physical activity should be a priority in its own right and calls on the government to prioritise physical activity interventions at a local and national level.

April 2015

Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson joins ukactive as Chair, setting out five-point plan to get Britain more active over the coming Parliament 

For more information please contact Jon Wiffen, Communications Manager, ukactive: 0207 400 8616 or email Jon.