So far in our series of #NEMovement articles we’ve already published a number of guest pieces written by local experts and supporters of the campaign. Topics have included advice on movement for pregnant women, changing our goals and staying motivated during lockdown and why looking after our physical and mental wellbeing is more important now than ever. Following on and adding to our variety of movement-related topics, we’re looking at how throughout the pandemic, the voice the of sport and physical activity community has been heard and the importance of movement has been recognised by the government, in this article by Northumbria University PhD student, Stuart Haw.

Stuart is a PhD student researching Sport Management at Northumbria University. His research explores the challenges of community-oriented sport and leisure provision. In particular, what the challenges are for community groups involved in the Community Asset Transfer of Sport and Leisure facilities:

"Exercise is the single most simple and important thing that people can do to improve their physical and mental health".

“These were the words of the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Witty at a UK Active summit late in November. His words reflect a shift in how centrally the government's most senior policy makers incorporate physical activity provision into the nationals plans for public health. However, the credit for this shift should go to communities, the many members participants and clubs, who campaigned tirelessly to improve physical opportunities for people across England in lockdown. As the opening of gyms and leisure facilities in all tiers across England shows, these communities spoke, and the government listened.

During the first lockdown people took advantage of parks and outdoor spaces, and as Google Mobility showed, footfall within parks was increasing. Further to being physically active, people were campaigning to safeguard the leisure sector, with over 100,000 people signing a petition for the government to debate gyms and leisure centres. The government responded by facilitating the debate in July and stating: "the government recognises the importance of physical activity to the nation’s wellbeing and is working with the leisure sector to reopen facilities as soon as possible in a safe and controlled way".

Other grassroots campaigns including the #saveleisure campaign called for the government to support the sector with emergency funds. Which it did, with over £1bn of emergency funding directed to local authorities and over £100m directed to locally provided sport and leisure provision. But the most unprecedented of developments for the sport and leisure sector came during lockdown 2.0.

On 31 October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that there would be a 4-week lockdown in England with a blanket closure of the leisure sector, there was understandably concern across the sector for how people would maintain their physical and mental wellbeing through physical activity. A campaign launched to bring the issue to parliament had reached the necessary 100,000 signatures to be debated, but the sense of community did not stop there.

Over 600,000 people signed the final petition before parliament held an apolitical debate in the commons. MPs joined forces to discuss how sport and leisure could be supported and how facilities could be incorporated into central efforts to improve public health going forward, including additional funding for the sector, the merge of social prescribing, and the announcement preceding the debate - that facilities would be open in all tiers of the new system. Since the tier system was introduced, the efforts of the Chartered Institute of Management in Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) has meant the government agreed to remove the limitation on 1-1 training in Tier 3.

There was further reason to be cheerful when in recent weeks the House of Lords national plan for Sport and Recreation Committee was formed, and the inaugural committee meeting was held. Lords and advisors reflected positively on the recent decisions that had been made by the government and the future for sport, physical activity, and public health was bright.

All in all, it seems that the power of communities has been highly noticeable. When those that have valued the benefits of physical activity have been vocal, the government has listened. People will benefit from these efforts long into the future as it seems the government has really moved sport, leisure, and physical higher up its agenda and long may this continue.”