Women Encouraged To Do More Sport

22 September 2010, 05:30

Women across Norfolk and Suffolk are being encouraged to get back into leading healthy lifestyles as part of a new campaign.

The ‘Get back Into’ programme, which aims to help people return to being fit and active, includes more than 60 sports and activities across Norfolk and more than 30 in Suffolk.

It comes as Sport England figures reveal that  around 12% of women in Suffolk and Norfolk play sport three times a week. Whilst this has gone up since 2005/2006, women's participation still trails behind that of their male counterparts, with 17.68% of Norfolk’s men playing sport regularly and 19% in Suffolk.

All the activities are listed on a new website (www.getbackinto.co.uk) where you can enter your postcode, find the closest activities and book yourself onto a course. Sessions are relaxed and fun, led by experienced coaches and instructors, and many are a gentle introduction back into sport and physical activity. 

There’s everything from team sports like netball and hockey to individual activities like badminton, swimming, pilates and yoga. And if going to the gym appeals, the Fitness Industry Association has helped secure cut price gym membership from gyms and leisure centres across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Marks and Spencer is supporting the campaign - offering Spend and Save vouchers to people who complete Get Back Into sessions.

The campaign is being co-ordinated by Active Norfolk, Suffolk Sport and Sport England, the Government and National Lottery body for grassroots sport.

 Chris Perks, Sport England’s regional lead for the East of England, said:

"It’s important to say that Get Back Into is open to anyone - men and women and people of all abilities. But we are trying to send a very clear message to women in particular. There are so many activities available out there but sometimes it’s hard to know what’s on offer. Get Back Into is a great way of finding an activity you enjoy – and then treating yourself afterwards.

Kate Stannet runs Fit Together in Norwich - they organise group walks and are getting involved. She told Heart: "People think an extra half an hour, an extra into my day - I can't do that. I'll be even more tired than I am already. But you find once you get a bit more active, you actually find you've got more energy and you're able to fit even more into your day somehow. Knowing you've got friends on an activity your'e going to go to as well makes you want to turn up and actually go. So knowing you're going to see somebody you can have a chat with on the walk you think - yeah I'm actually going to get up and got this morning."