Lucy Eyles, a retired special needs teacher from Woodley, stars in That Counts! – a major new campaign aiming to inspire thousands of people from across Stockport and Greater Manchester to lead a more active life.
Latest figures show more than 82,900 adults (aged 16+) and 20,600 children (5-16) in Stockport are not moving enough1.
The Greater Manchester-wide That Counts! campaign has been created in response. By giving people a clear activity target and encouraging them to look beyond formal sport or exercise, it will help them find their own ways of fitting 30 minutes of activity into their daily lives.
Currently, almost than one-in-four (25%) adults in Stockport are active for less than half an hour a week, despite 30 minutes a day of moderate activity being recommended2. Worryingly, with the younger generation, one-in-three (32%) are active for less than 30 minutes a day, despite an hour a day being the minimum advised for 5 to 16 year olds3.
Lucy is featured as one of the campaign’s ‘people like me’ heroes to demonstrate how we can all take inspiration from ‘everyday people’ like ourselves.
Lucy, who sometimes needs a wheelchair to get around, says it’s important to keep active no matter what your age and ability.
She said: “I’ve had four stem strokes which means I need to walk with a stick, or on some days I use a wheelchair.
But it’s important for me to keep as active as possible, especially as I get older. I try to find ways to move and keep busy, without putting too much strain on my body.
“Getting off the bus a stop or two earlier on a good day is a simple way to get extra movement into my day. I also enjoy going to the allotment in Brinnington because I can still go on days when I am using my wheelchair. I can get around easily, get some fresh air and keep my muscles moving.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this campaign and help my neighbours and the people of Stockport move a bit more. I hope they can see me, a person just like them, and be inspired to find times in their day when they can be a little more active.”
Alongside the campaign, Stockport is also planning focused community initiatives at a local level in the borough as part of the Active Communities Strategy.
Led by the Greater Manchester Moving (GM Moving) team, That Counts! is part of an ambitious plan to find solutions to the long-term barriers to physical activity. It is supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Sport England. Hundreds of organisations have also pledged their support, including leisure facilities, sports clubs, community groups, businesses and charities.
The inspiring community initiative is an important contribution to Greater Manchester’s aims to reduce inactivity and get2 million residents moving by 2021. With 59,000 more local people becoming active or fairly active over the past three years, levels of inactivity in the city-region are already falling three times faster than the national rate.
However, official statistics show Greater Manchester still has higher inactivity levels than both the North West and England average2.
But studies show a clear appetite among GM residents to do more though and two-thirds of locals (67%) want to be more active. Many are finding it difficult to move enough in their everyday lives though, with one in four (25%) not having enough time, nearly a third (32% ) feeling too tired and more than a quarter (26%) put off by the weather4.
The campaign has the backing of Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who said: “Greater Manchester residents are already taking great strides to become more active – and we’re tackling inactivity three times faster than the national average. We’ve got a lot to celebrate, but there’s still some way to go and barriers we can start to tackle as a community. That Counts! is an active, engaging and fun campaign that shows it doesn’t matter what you do, or how you do it, there are loads of ways to make movement count.”
