Importance of physical activity
Being physically active is crucial for maintaining good health and overall wellbeing. It is not a nice to do, it is essential for maintaining community health and wellbeing, the numerous benefits include:
- Reduced Risk of Chronic Conditions: Regular exercise lowers the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers.
- Improved Mental Health: Physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, and sleep quality while reducing stress, clinical depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Enhanced Cardiovascular Health: Exercise helps lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
- Weight Management: Staying active helps control weight and prevents obesity-related health issues.
- Stronger Bones: Physical activity prevents bone density loss and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
- Longevity: Being active contributes to a longer, healthier life and more independent life.
This article will share how Leap is building relationships, convening partners and fostering partnerships that can embed Active Lifestyle conversations in health and care systems across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
Creating sustainable change needs input and buy-in from many partners, including health and social care, local authorities and the leisure, movement and sports industry.
The Sport England Active Lives 2022-2023 survey shows that 36.3% of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes residents are active for less than the recommended 150 minutes a week. This increases to 43.6% for people living in the most deprived areas.
Common barriers include socioeconomic factors, lack of access to facilities, insufficient motivation or knowledge, and cultural or environmental factors.
Importance of working in partnership
We’re trying to tackle some big societal issues and we know we can’t do this alone, so we work with 
a broad range of partners who share our mission to help people move more. We will not achieve this through short term, small investments or projects, system change requires sustained effort and energy with action by all across the local system you’re trying to change.
We believe we’re uniquely placed to influence and convene partners to reimagine local systems with active lifestyle empowerment built in. We’re independent and have no financial interest in altering or improving these local systems.
We work by building relationships and making connections, advising on policy and projects, securing and maximising investment and energising people, places and spaces. We also continually learn and are not afraid to fail but will commit to develop and share actionable insights with our partners. Our partners include many Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations, local government, hospital trusts, health and care providers.
Here’s just two examples of how we’re successfully building partnerships in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes:
Move Together – Active Lifestyle Service
The team are working with the health and social care system and leisure providers to create a single pathway to access appropriate physical activity opportunities for people who are currently not yet active. They will be people with long term health conditions and those whose physical and mental health would benefit from moving more.
Our aim is that whoever someone speaks to (for example a Health or Social Care Professional, carer or social prescriber), they will be empowered to be more active through tailored support. With individual behaviour change support and guidance with signposting to opportunities best suited to them.
There are many stakeholders in this ambitious plan and we’re building relationships throughout health and social care and activity providers to ensure all ends of the system will work effectively.
Strategy and Policy Development
Leap is creating a strategy with Milton Keynes Council to develop a whole system approach for 
physical activity. The five year action plan will engage many MK based organisations including Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) NHS Foundation Trust, Get Around MK (Active Travel), The Parks Trust and health and social care.
Initially we identified consultants to map the existing landscape before we move to further develop the strategy and action plan. It’s exciting to be one of the stakeholders and be part of a strategic, whole system plan to improve access to regular movement and activity for those who can benefit the most.
The Future
We will continue to build relationships, grow trust and raise the importance of regular movement and physical activity to help tackle societal issues. For example, engaging with the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit to support system change and embed sport as a positive influence and diversionary opportunity for young people.
By being present in meetings and hosting our own meetings and events, we will share and demonstrate why and how regular movement and physical activity is considered the best health and wellbeing investment available.
If you want to join the movement and help us with our mission set out above, please contact one of our team that best links to your area of interest or community you want to help move more.
