Councils are seizing this Olympic legacy opportunity

Guest post: Carolyn Downs

Chief Executive of the Local Government Association 

Many of the athletes on the winners’ podium this summer began their sporting careers in council facilities. Rebecca Adlington had her first swimming lessons at Sherwood Baths in Mansfield, which is now named after its local hero. 

 

According to a snapshot LGA survey, over 40% of councils reported an increase in people wanting to get involved in sport during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

As leaders of place and employers, councils up and down the country are working with partners to seize the opportunity to use the Games to make a long-term difference to participation in physical activity. From April 2013 councils will be responsible for public health, joining up local public health improvement and physical activity provision.

With everybody experiencing budget pressures strong partnerships between councils and the fitness sector are essential if we are going to unlock legacy.  We need to work together to ensure that public, private and voluntary physical activity provision gives everybody the chance to get more active.

 

 

*Hear more from Carolyn at the Summit; 22nd November, Congress Centre, Londo.
Book  online now or call 020 7420 8560 for more information.*

 

Guest post: Summit speaker Sally Gunnell on the real Olympic legacy

I’ve spent the last 7 years building up to a fortnight of competition.  As a British Olympic Association Ambassador, I did thousands of media interviews, sometimes spending 14 hours a day answering questions.  I led Olympic site tours.  Early ones involved hard hats, high viz jackets and plenty of imagination.  But later on, I found myself proudly pointing out the gleaming buildings in the Park.  I met with officials from LOCOG, the BOA, the IOC and Government.  The best part of the build-up phase was a fun run with thousands of others around the Olympic Park, days before the Games began.

 

I split the Games fortnight between Sky Sports’ studios (where I was doing some punditry) and the various Olympic venues, where I was shouting and screaming with thousands of others.  Unforgettable days.  But now it’s over, so what about the legacy?

 

For me, the legacy is about ordinary people.  I spend a lot of time talking with businesses and local communities about the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.  Businesses are working with me to set up employee well being programmes, I help out at countless community sports “tryout” days.  This is the legacy that matters; better health for the nation.

 

For most of us, small lifestyle changes will make a big difference.  There are leisure centres all over the UK, waiting to welcome us – regardless of age or experience.  Why not try a class or have a swim?  Go with friends or family and most importantly – enjoy it.

 

There is so much passion from across the fitness and leisure industry, trying to get people healthy and active, I am very proud to be speaking at the FIA Summit on 22 November. I can’t wait to hear about what is going on across the UK to ensure the Olympic activity legacy becomes a reality.

Book your place at the Summit now.

For more information on Sally’s Healthy Living workplace wellbeing programme visit www.sallygunnell.com, like Sally Gunnell Healthy Living on Facebook and follow @SallyGunnellHL on twitter. Sally can also be found tweeting at @SallyGunnell.   

LIW 2012– were you there?

A delegation of FIA staff and myself travelled up to the Birmingham NEC last week for three packed days of everything health and leisure: LIW 2012 – the biggest annual trade show for our sector.

And once again, the show didn’t disappoint this year – it is great to see how members continue to innovate and develop solutions to gaps in the market, with suppliers showcasing some amazing pieces of new kit, including a personal favourite opposite us on the Life Fitness stand – the Synrgy360 which ran a demo loop to keep us entertained.

A big thank you as always to the LIW team who did such a great job on creating our excellent FIA stand – a hub in the middle of all the activity, showcasing the FIA’s achievements and current projects.

It was great to see so many members visiting our stand to find out more about the FIA, to hold meetings or just grab a seat (and a drink – kindly provided by VitaCoco and UltraBody) and relax for five minutes.

My personal highlights included having the opportunity again to give a keynote, which showcased the FIA’s passion and drive for delivering on an Olympic and Paralympic physical activity legacy;  seeing some of our brilliant Team GB athletes at the show including the UK’s most successful gymnast Beth Tweddle, rower Greg Searle and the inspirational weightlifter Zoe Smith (who I made sure I had my pic taken with); and our drinks reception (sponsored by Life Fitness) on Wednesday night, which I think personally was the best yet, with a great atmosphere and band, and a successful raffle for our chosen charity, the Matt Hampson Foundation (see below for the winners). The IOU seminars in the education village were also a huge success, covering a wide range of relevant topics. But the best thing about LIW is always for me and the team to meet our members in person – thank you to everyone who took the time to come and visit our stand.

The FIA stand was a hive of activity throughout the three days, hosting an afternoon tea sponsored by TRX, a lunch for Sporta members, a speed networking session and a dinner and lunch for the leaders in health and fitness hosted buyers’ programme. 

We also launched the process for the Flame Awards 2013 at LIW, kicking off with a series of popular seminars presented by myself, David Monkhouse and Mike Hill on what Flame is, how to enter and how to stand the best chance of success. Following on from the success of this year’s awards, we are encouraging operators from across the sector to enter, no matter what their size or business model.

Going back to my keynote speech, I spoke about how together we can achieve more and work towards an ambitious aim of making the UK the most active nation in the world. This is not the FIA's legacy to deliver but the sectors. The FIA is the facilitator, creating partnerships and pathways to help deliver more people, more active, more often. This was reflected in our recent rebrand consultation, which returned an overwhelming ‘yes’ to our keeping this as our mission. I know many of you are very eager to find out more about our new name and brand identity, but you will have to wait until the big reveal at the  Summit in November.

If you missed my keynote you can read a report here summarising the key points.

At such a busy time for all of us working in this sector, it is so rare to be able to have the opportunity to socialise and network in an informal atmosphere. The next time we will see all our members together again now will be at our Summit in November – have you booked yet? The 300 or so of you who came along to the Summit when it re-launched last year will know what an interesting and thought-provoking event it was, and this year we have set ourselves a target of exceeding those expectations with our line-up of high profile speakers. Don’t miss out on being there – if you are an FIA member and you book before 25^th October you can also take advantage of an early-bird booking discount. Look out for guest blog posts from some of our speakers, coming soon.

And finally, if the LIW piqued your interest in education and professional development, you can now book for the FIA’s upcoming seminar series on accessing funding and also watch out for our upcoming webinar series– a new membership benefit for FIA members covering topics as wide as retention, social media, music licensing and public health structures. Whether you are an independent operator, manager of a single site or a PT, we will have something for you. Keep up-to-date one what is really going on in the sector.

All will soon be revealed, but in the meantime you can contact colin@fia.org.uk to find out more.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events soon; if there were any questions left unanswered at LIW we are only a click or a phone call away – please do keep in touch.

LIW FIA raffle winners:

Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to the company’s who generously donated the prizes.

Matt Hampson Rugby Ball (MHF) – won by Juma Abdullahi

Book – Engage – The rise and fall of Matt Hampson’ (NHF) – won by Duncan McSporran

Lifecycle GX Bike (Life Fitness) – won by Patricia Carswell

Three courses/workshops from Lifetime – won by Sharon Clare

TRX suspension pack – won by Peter Gilpin

5 x ‘London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: The Official Commemorative Book’ (spogo.co.uk) – won by Harry Sanders, Pete Todd, Steve Roberts, Jon Nasta and Chris Gledhill

Two conference and ball packages for the Flame Conference 2013 (FIA) – won by Jenny Wildi

Tame the flame - were you there?

Now that I and the FIA team have recovered from Flame jetlag, we can look back and reflect on the experience. I’ve said it already by a big thank you to everyone who attended Flame Conference 2012 in Sheffield last month and made it such a brilliant event. Thank you also to everyone who has passed on their feedback about the events, both negative and positive. We do use these comments to make Flame better every year (although the dozen or so of you who pointed out too me that the Ball of Fire was too hot may have overestimated the team’s ability to regulate the weather!)

Although the Ball of Fire did live up to its name, the glorious weather in what has been the wettest summer ever made for an excellent pre-conference Golf Day at Tankersley Manor Golf Club, and some impressive final results from our enthusiastic golf teams including a hole in one for DLL’s Paul Batty.

That evening we returned to Tankersley Manor for a pre-conference drinks reception and dinner, where we enjoyed some astounding evening entertainment from comic magician Ian Keable, who to my (and everyone else’s!) disbelief, hypnotised some of the industry’s finest – or did he?

The following day delegates arrived early for the Flame Conference at the Magna Science Adventure Centre. We heard a huge range of speakers including SAS hero Chris Ryan, trend-spotter Henry Mason, neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis and brand guru Shaun Smith.

That evening Ponds Forge International played host to the FIA Ball of Fire for the Flame Awards ceremony. A highlight of the evening for me was inviting former England rugby player Matt Hampson to address guests. I’ve mentioned before that my team bought be a copy of Matt’s memoir, ‘Engage’ for my last birthday, and it is a truly brilliant read. The Matt Hampson Foundation (MHF) is the FIA’s nominated charity, formed by Matt after he was left paralysed by an accident whilst training for England under 21s. The MHF helps support young people suffering serious injury or disability, particularly those sustained through sport or physical activity. Speaking about his experience with such humour and positivity, Matt received a standing ovation, and I know that his is a cause our sector is well and truly behind.

Guests were all very generous in donating to the MHF through our silent auction and charity prize; I was pleased to announce today that we raised over £5000 for the charity.

Another highlight, as always, was seeing the reaction of the winners of our Flame Awards 2012 (sponsored by Matrix). Seeing just how ecstatic the teams were to win really brings home the value of these awards.

All in all it really was brilliant to see so many members of our sector together and I hope that we carry forward a spirit of unity and collaboration as a sector in the coming year.

We are now gearing up for LIW in September, where as always we will be running the FIA networking hub and launching our new Supplier Directory, and following that our Summit – the sector’s set piece political event for the year. Following on from the success of the re-launched FIA summit last year I know that I am really looking forward to this event, and we already have some top speakers in the pipeline. The event will be taking place in London on 22^nd November, so get it in your diaries now; more details will be released shortly.

The political agenda is front and centre for the FIA and our sector at the moment, with the upcoming publication of a report from a Lords select committee examining the physical activity and the Olympic legacy; watch this space for further information.

We were also very encouraged by a report released this week by the Royal College of Physicians which outlines a series of recommendations for establishing exercise as a routine tool for the prevention and management of illness. This is a ground-breaking document for our sector, and I was delighted that the report on several occasions highlighted the FIA as a “key collaborator” and the Joint Consultative Forum as the body to take forward many of the recommendations of the report.  There is still much work to be done in engaging the medical community, but this is a significant and positive step forward for our sector.

Follow the FIA on Twitter: @FIA_org_uk

Twitter Tips

*** Guest post by Flame Conference speaker, Frank Furness ***

Here are 3 tips that bring your more traffic without ever sending a single tweet.

Twitter Tip 1:

In the upper right hand corner of your Twitter page is the profile area, or information about you. One choice you have is what website you want to include a link to after the space marked “web.” Most people just send people to their main website. The problem is most people’s main website has no opt-in page so there is no way to capture the prospects email address.

So what you want to do is include a link to an opt-in page, or at least a page that has an opt-in box somewhere. While your followers on Twitter are a list, you also want to add them to your email list.

Also make sure you change the link every now and then to provide some variety.

Twitter Tip 2:

Also in the profile area in the upper right hand corner is a space to create your bio in 71 characters or less. Most people include things like “mother, father, internet marketer, CSI fan, love buttered popcorn” or some other way in which to be cute or funny.

As is often the case, don’t do what most people do. Instead, use the 71 characters in the bio to let your follower and prospect know what you can do for them. After all, your follower and prospect is looking at your Twitter page and asking “what’s in it for me?” So show them.

Twitter Tip 3:

Included in your profile section is a category called “favourites.” What most people do is link to their favourite tweets. Again, don’t do what most people do.

Instead favourite the positive things people are saying about you. Then when someone comes to your Twitter page and clicks on your Favourites, they can see all these “mini-testimonials” about you.

I’m looking forward to giving you loads of tips and tricks around Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Linkedin at the FIA Flame Conference on 27th June.

A Vital Shift in Priorities

***Guest post from Flame Conference speaker Mark Williamson, Director of Action for Happiness ***

There is a vitally important shift underway in how we think about progress. Growing numbers of economists, political leaders and expert commentators are calling for better measures of how well society is doing; measures that track not just our economic standard of living, but our overall quality of life. This shift also mirrors the way many of us are feeling too: that the modern consumer economy has failed to deliver fair outcomes and fulfilling lives.

In recent decades our lives have become increasingly orientated in the service of the economy, rather than the other way around. Yet economic growth is really just a means to an end; it only matters if it contributes to social progress and human wellbeing. And the tragedy is that decades of growth and material progress have failed to deliver a measurable increase in life satisfaction.

When Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he was asking the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to start measuring the UK's national wellbeing, this was greeted with derision and eye-rolling in the media. Critics suggested that it was a cynical attempt to distract us from our economic woes, or simply a waste of money at a time when there are more important things to worry about.

These concerns are understandable, but misplaced. It is of course difficult to trust a government that claims a commitment to wellbeing while simultaneously slashing funding for public services that contribute to it. But to see this only through a political lens would be to miss the point. Focusing on wellbeing isn't a distraction, it's about finding out what will really improve people's lives and then acting on it, which is surely what good government should be all about?"

Mark Williamson is Director of Action for Happiness. He will be presenting a seminar entitled “Ten Keys for Happier, More Productive Living”at the FIA Conference.

Book your place now or call 020 7420 8560 for more details.

In Search of Excellence

By Tim Webster, FIA Flame Conference programmer

Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer. Sometimes the improvement is just 1%, but that 1% is often the difference between winning and losing, between the good and the great. Blindingly obvious isn’t it?

This year’s FIA Conference is all about celebrating the fact that we have come a long way as a sector, indulging in a little “what-if” thinking, challenging what we currently do and asking if it could be done better, differently, more efficiently, more cost-effectively or not at all?

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” This is of course much more difficult than it sounds but if we are to grow our sector we must challenge our own thinking and that of our colleagues each and every day.

As Tom Peters says: “Doing what worked yesterday is always the default option. Thing is, that doesn’t work anymore.”

In my opinion, in order to challenge our thinking we must look outside our own sector at businesses that are doing things differently and so this year’s conference features non-industry speakers from top-to-bottom. That’s a risk in itself, but there’s no point in challenging you to think differently if we aren’t prepared to do the same.

Over the coming weeks and months we aim to bring you some of the thoughts of our speakers at this year’s conference, starting with our keynote speaker, SAS hero Chris Ryan later this week.

From Expert to Facilitator

- Fiona Cosgrove -

I recently attended a conference in Boston entitled Coaching in Leadership and Medicine.

The sessions intertwined theory from systems therapy, executive coaching, immunity to change models and ground breaking research in positivity.

The theme throughout was that a good coach needs to increase self-awareness in the client and help them to take responsibility for their own outcomes.

It matters not whether the objective is to increase productivity or decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, if the end result involves behavioural change (which becoming a regular exerciser does) then helping people to identify and eliminate psychological as well as physiological obstacles is essential.

The fitness industry is crying out for a new teaching model and if exercise professionals can just shift their mindset from being the expert to being the facilitator of change then wellness coaching may just be it.

Australian Fiona Cosgrove is a leading international wellness coach. She is presenting at the FIA Conference in Telford on Wednesday July 13th.

FIA Flame Conference – “Creating Connections – The Key to our future”
Wednesday July 13th at the Telford International Centre.
Click here to book your place now!

The IHRSA Convention countdown…

With just over fourteen days to go until the 30^th IHRSA Convention, we are ‘preparation San Francisco’ here at the FIA.

The line-up of speakers and events promises to be one of the best yet.

Often viewed as a “bit of a jolly” to the States, we are determined that this years trip comprises a robust educational itinerary which builds skills and educates industry peers.

That’s why, for the first time this year, we’re providing a mentoring programme for operators to aid this. Key issues such as medical wellness and the female market, will be presented and debated, and brand new fitness trends will be demonstrated, such as Batuka (personally can’t wait to have a go at these new latin-inspired routines)!

There are some fantastic keynotes to look forward to also – Al Gore’s Chief speech-writer; Daniel Pink, will look at the science of motivation, best-selling author and business innovator; Tony Hsieh looks at delivering happiness and host of the “Amazing Race”; Phil Keoghan reflects on his “near death” experience and consequent life philosophy of making the most of every opportunity - sounds like a not-to-be-missed inspirational guy!

Outside of this full-on educational itinerary there’s plenty more to look forward to…

The trade show will be brimming with new products and previously unseen suppliers – can’t wait to have a ‘nose’ at what’s new in the industry!

The FIA will also be running some exciting networking events outside of the IHRSA schedule to provide a chance to kick back, catch up with industry peers and sample (quite literally) the culture of beautiful San Francisco…

All FIA members are invited to our “Welcome to San Francisco” Drinks Reception on Monday 14^th, where we will toast to jetlag and a packed week ahead…

On the Tuesday, before the Convention kicks off, we will be hosting a Wine Tasting Tour around California’s wine country – sampling some of the greats and enjoying lunch in the wine caves at Rutherford Hill. 

To find out more about any of these events and get booked on, just drop me an email or check out the FIA website.

Look forward to seeing you all at Heathrow for some early morning, bleary-eyed banter before the learning and fun begins!

Hayley Bevan, Events & Sponsorship Manager, FIA

Hayley@fia.org.uk

@HayleyBevan

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hayleybevan

New Initiative For Disabled

Did you know that only one in 15 people with a disability regularly play sport, compared to one in five non-disabled people.

That´s why we decided to partner with Leonard Cheshire Disability and Sport England this January for ‘Yoodo Sports’, an initiative (piloting in Yorkshire) to help people with disabilities take up and enjoy physical activity

I am pleased to see so many FIA members throughout Yorkshire supporting the campaign by offering discounted and/or trial memberships for local people with disabilities and those with a long term health condition. It’s essential that we make physical activity accessible to everyone – regardless of age, sex or ability.

Yoodo Sports brings disabled people together with activity ‘buddies’ – people who may or may not have an impairment themselves but want to help others play sport or be active. It’s a fantastic way to get more people moving through support and encouragement.

The Yoodo Sports pilot in Yorkshire will run in Leeds, Bradford, Richmond, Catterick, Kirklees, Huddersfield, Northallerton and Thirsk and be rolled out across England in 2012.

I look forward to seeing how it develops.

Dave Stalker, Executive Director, FIA

Prescription Fitness

What has the storm over the Government’s proposed NHS reforms got to do with the fitness industry?

There are some serious discussions to be had about what the Coalition wants to do to the NHS but for us in the fitness industry, the proposals provide a massive opportunity.

In a couple of years time GP’s will hold the purse strings. They will decide where to send patients and where to spend the money.

What is the single most urgent and effective thing that people need to do to improve their health and reduce the risk of disease? We all know the answer is ‘exercise’. What is more 85% of the population visit their GP at least once a year and increasingly GP’s are going to be pressurised to get them to exercise. And there is our opportunity.

The fitness sector has what the population needs in order to be healthy. GPs are going to have to recommend exercise more and more to get people fit. And if that needs money, the GPs will have it in their pot.

There’s never been a more important time to get to know our local doctors and persuade them of the benefits we, as an industry, can bring to people; to keep them well, to keep them out of hospital and if they do get ill, to help them recover more quickly. It is a win win situation!

Dr John Searle (OBE), FIA Chief Medical Officer

Introducing Ageing and Rehabilitation - “Untapped Markets” Seminar series…

One in four people born today will live to be over 100.

Based on current trends that number is set to rise by nearly 60% over the next 25 years.

With these stats in mind, isn’t it staggering to think that we, as an industry, don’t have more of a targeted and powerful strategy to engage with this ever-burgeoning demographic?

The guy who knows this market better than anyone is David Sinclair, Head of Policy and Research at the UK International Longevity Centre, and one of our speakers at the upcoming seminar – “Untapped Markets: Ageing and Rehabilitation” sponsored by BalanceMaster. David will be setting the scene of the current and projected demographics that could essentially be your future members.

Not only will the seminar show you where these gaps in the market lie, but our expert speakers and Chair, FIA’s Executive Director David Stalker, will show you how to engage with them.

Dr John Searle (FIA CMO), Bob Laventure (Consultant to the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health) and David Smith (GB Athlete) will also be providing valuable contributions.

This is the latest in the FIA’s new line of topical seminars. With a few places remaining on the seminars (taking place in Luton and Birmingham at the end of this month).

I look forward to seeing you there and learning together how we can work together to get these groups moving.

To book your place click here, or just give me a tinkle!

Hayley Bevan

Events and Sponsorship Manager
Email – Hayley@fia.org.uk
Twitter - @hayleybevan

Reinforcements needed - Supersized (and STRONG) ambulance service

‘Fit and abnormally strong’ are the latest additions to the job spec of the UK ambulance service. Not only so they can respond quickly and tend to the deteriorating health of the nation…. but so they can also transport the obese to hospital. And they WILL need to be taken to hospital…..

I was bemused, if a little concerned this week to hear that the ambulance service have revamped their fleets with heavy duty wheels chairs, stretchers and lifting cushions to transport the ‘larger’ patient to and from hospital. What a sad and somewhat wasteful reflection on the state of the nation’s health and fitness.

Bariatric ambulances have even been introduced into some regions, costing us, the tax payer up to £90,000 a time! And it seems there will need to be more in the pot where that came from - figures point to a 30% increase in hospital admissions for obesity and a 40% increase in bariatric surgery over the last few years.

Surely money would be better spent in prevention as opposed to accommodation?

Treatment and SOLUTIONS versus infrastructure adjustments. Whatever next – larger plane seats, train seats, theatres seats, changing rooms, school desks…? I could go on….

With 24 percent of men and 25 percent of women in the UK now obese, we can’t ignore the problem, but is changing our entire infrastructure really the best solution? Money well spent?

Smoking and alcohol abuse sit alongside obesity as a major cause of disease but we have a smoking ban installed … we have put taxes on alcohol consumption….. THIS is support towards positive behavioural change…. And its working.

Support is key to tackling the obesity problem and our industry is at the forefront of delivering it. The problem is not obesity. The problem is the CAUSE of obesity. I am talking about a lack of physical activity and poor diet. We HAVE to get more people moving and eating better.

We mustn’t sit back and accept the problem…. And we’re not. We are doing great things working with the medical professional through the Joint Consultative Forum, the Government through Change4Life, industry through the Responsibility deal. We have to work together.

Medicine is not the answer. Surgery is not the answer. The solution is at the very heart of our industry. Exercise, diet - energy in and energy out. Support and customer care.

How can we make our offering more appealing to the obese or overweight? Physical activity for all…

The supersized footprint has to stop here.

All I want for Christmas….

With Christmas fast approaching, you may be surprised to hear that the Flame Awards are at the top of my priority list and indeed many of the Industry’s finest!

There’s just a final few days to take advantage of the discounted early bird entry fee so clubs are busy finalising their entry forms, hopeful to remain in the competition until that adrenaline-fuelled final stage – the Flame Awards Ceremony on 13th July 2011; where the winners will be crowned!

Flame began over 15 years ago, born out of a need to recognise those in our industry that are a beacon of Fitness Leadership and Management Excellence.

Over the years, winners have varied and competition has heightened – turning the Flame Awards into the most prestigious and desired in the industry!

Attending some site visits last year (which take place in Stage 2 of the assessing process), it was staggering to experience the intricate planning that sites put into their assessment day. The motivation, energy, eagerness to please and sheer pride is absolutely phenomenal – you really have to admire the professionalism of our assessors that are forced to compare these clubs and not come to the conclusion that everybody should be a winner! With standards so high across all entrants, every single point really does count…

Dawn Spink, 2010 Flame Winner for Club of the Year, The Valley Health & Fitness at EIS Sheffield said:

“Winning was a great achievement for us and the fitness team at EIS. We were short listed the year before, but winning last year showed just how much we improved – enough to win!

After receiving feedback from the Flame assessors, we improved our programme cards by working with head office to change the format. By getting to the final, we learned from the customer satisfaction surveys to improve on our more social aspects and now we do member football tournaments! We have also implemented classes into our timetable; things like outdoor military fitness classes.

My advice to hopefuls is to keep trying and really motivate your team. Make it the best time it can be by including the members, making sure they know it’s their gym, not yours and therefore a reward for both of your hard work!”

So, what are you waiting for? Send me your entry form now!

Merry Christmas,

Hayley Bevan, Events & Sponsorship Manager at the FIA
Email: Hayley@fia.org.uk

The fat man of Europe…

Well, that’s what we were called in reports of a study out this week which shows the UK tops the obesity league with the fattest rates across Europe.

While the average obesity rate in the EU is 15.5 percent, Britons are bursting at their belts with one in four of us now classified as obese.

Pulled together by the European Commission and Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, it draws on the evidence and concludes with concerns over the pressures that the situation is putting on healthcare and the wider economy.

It’s something we, as an industry, are well aware of and I am proud to say that we have more responsibility than ever before to do something about it.

We are working closely with the medical profession and have just agreed a Joint Consultative Forum with a number of Royal Medical Colleges and Faculties. Not only will this encourage the use of exercise in both the prevention of ill-health and treatment of disease but will see patients coming through your doors for a prescription of exercise. I think it’s vital that we work together with this sector to develop an evidence base for fitness in the use of ‘exercise as medicine’ and help improve the standards of our training and the skills of our workforce.

And, as you’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, we’re taking a more prominent role with industry, the DH and third sector too, thanks to the appointment of our Chairman, Fred Turok, to serve as Co-Chair of the Physical Activity Network for the Government Responsibility Deal. It allows us, to work together with other sectors such a food, drink and retail to take on the mammoth job of turning the tide on the obesity epidemic and improving the long term health of the nation.

It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to happen over night. But we won’t be sniggered at by the sophisticated French or the slimline Scandinavians any longer. We’re more than ready for it….

Dave Stalker, Executive Director, FIA

Welcome aboard!

After an election process which rivalled that of the general election earlier this year, the votes have been counted and I’m delighted to welcome three new members to the FIA Board!

John Cleland, CEO of Esporta, Innes Kerr, Group Operations Director at Energie and Debra Stuart, CEO of Premier Training have been voted by yourselves to join the other standing members.

With increased credibility of the industry within the public health agenda, the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games and the new five year industry strategy there has never been a more important time to have a wealth of experience sitting alongside us.

Congratulations all three and thank you all for your votes.

Dave Stalker

Notes from my home town.... and the Conservative Party Conference

Back in my home region of Birmingham, Sayeeda Warsi, Conservative Party Co-Chairman, opened the conference to a standing ovation. We held a Fringe Event at the conference, again looking at tackling the public health crisis. Once again the event was a real success, while our Chairman Fred Turok generated some excellent debate around the benefits of physical activity in dealing with public health issues.

After, it was off to the London 2012 fringe. A surprise guest, Liberal Democrat Don Foster MP, arrived and sat a couple of seats away from me. I raised the question to the panel of the concerns over a lack of a health and sporting legacy being delivered off the back of the games. I requested that he didn’t go into the dropping of the 2 million more people active target and providing information around school sport, but that’s about all he included in his answer.

At the Health Hotel reception in the evening, it was Andrew Lanlsey and Freddie Howe’s turn to represent the Health Team. I briefly spoke with Andrew to let him know about some of the plans we have in place around the Responsibility Deal and encouraged him to meet with our Chairman, Fred Turok to discuss in more detail.

On Tuesday, Andrew Lanlsey and team took to the stage for the Health speeches. Unfortunately, there was little spoken about public health other than the mention of an impending public health White Paper. For the party who had said they would champion public health and even rename the Department of Health, the Department of Public Health, we are still waiting for the detail.

The Wednesday morning began with an early roundtable event with three members of the conservative health team, The Rt Hon Andrew Lanlsey MP, Anne Milton MP and Simon Burns MP. There was some excellent discussions on our table, talking about how the critical issue for the NHS is to address the declining health of the nation. With the Responsibility Deal for public health which is ongoing, the FIA are in a prime position to deliver this and with a public health white paper due to published at the end of this year, this is an area which is going to be a key focus for the health team. Following the group discussions, Fred and I sat down with Simon Burns MP to talk in greater detail about physical activity policy and the responsibility deal. I couldn’t believe it was only 10.20am and so much had already been achieved!

I queued for nearly 2 hours waiting for David Cameron’s appearance on stage. I kept checking my watch, checking twitter, anything to not get dragged into the riveting conversation about the length of the queue! When I was finally admitted to the hall I was pleased with the view and glad I had dedicated 2 hours to see the his speech. I waited in anticipation as William Hague introduced the shadow cabinet and then the big man himself. As always, there was a spectacle put on with a video summarising the past few months, including the election trail. I listened to a powerful speech but I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed as I left. I don’t know whether it was the room and symphony hall which didn’t lend itself well to the speech, but there hadn’t been the electricity I was hoping for. Don’t get me wrong, good points did come out of it but I had to agree with Tim Montgomerie (editor of Conservative Home) when he described it as ‘forgettable’.

And that was it. The final conference of the season was over. Looking back all had been very different. The Liberal Democrat conference seemed to be an attempt to wake up the members and tell them that they now had power! Labour was a look back and self assessment of 13 years in government and was dominated by the Milliband brothers. And the Conservatives was a celebration (*almost* champagne free) for finally being able to call David Cameron Prime Minister with a few scandals of policy announcements.

By and large, our aims and positions were supported by all parties and there are more policy developments to be made around public health over the coming year. 3 cities, 3 parties, 3 fringes – let’s see how they deliver.

What an LIW it was…

On the morning of Monday 20^th September, Mr Jonny Sullens stood atop a surf board, waves crashing around him as he surveyed the building of his empire…  As any good Event Director should do, Mr Sullens was road-testing the products that would, the very next day, be available to the punters of the Fitness Industry…  I still await the photographic evidence of this particular health & safety assessment – The Wave-Surfer.

From the moment we arrived to set up the FIA Industry Lounge on Monday, it was clear that this show would run smoothly (if I may boast such confidence) – conversations with some surprisingly relaxed exhibitors assured me of this.

The buzz of the show kicked in on Tuesday morning as the whir of fitness equipment demos filled the air – kranking, spinning, bikini-clad cross-training – not to mention the “whir-free” varieties: boxing, pole-dancing, dancing… and a rather tired Santa Claus having a snooze (yes, that made me look twice - I thought it was our Finance Director first time around!)

Dave Stalker’s keynote, where he launched the five year industry strategy was the perfect opening to LIW and marks a real turning point for our industry. Stay tuned for the roll out plan…

Hopefully you all had the opportunity to visit us on our mammoth double-decker Industry Lounge stand (many thanks to the Jonnys for creating such an incredible structure that didn’t collapse under the strain of 80 lunch-filled Health & Fitness Leaders, as per my nightmares…).  We enjoyed the pleasure of hosting lunches for SPORTA, Community Sport Seminar delegates and those on the Health & Fitness Leaders Programme as well as meeting our many members and launching our brand new Individual Memberships (which incidentally can be purchased for just £29.99)

The jam-packed FIA Drinks Reception on Tuesday night saw over £300 raised for Help for Heroes – many thanks to all who contributed!  To view the raffle prize winners click here.  We were honoured to have the inspirational Berni Shrosbree with us at the reception to share news of his most recent adventures (unfortunately this was greeted in part by a wall of noise – combatative solutions for next year on a postcard please!).

Wednesday, saw a wealth of free education up for grabs, which was well attended and received.  A part of this was the independent operators tailored IOU Seminars, which saw over 250 clubs in attendance!  The seminars looked at the cornerstones of their operation; concluding with 6 independent club owners offering their views on the challenges they’ve faced over the past year.  The day ended in the best possible way - a huge party in the centre of Birmingham –dancing, a great band and general merriment led to many a sore head the following morning…

Thursday’s seminars with Sport England were extremely popular and couldn’t have come at a better time. We look forward to working further with them in the build up to 2012.

All in all, I think you’ll agree - a full and exciting show. Fabulously organised (our congratulations go to UBM) and diligently attended (our praise goes to those Industry bods that recognise the need to invest in their industry and make the most of events such as these).  It was fantastic to see so many of you there and I look forward to more of the same at the next industry event!

To view our photos from the show – check out the FIA Flickr Page

It’s all happening in Manchester

Stephanie Creighton, Public Affairs and Policy Officer at The Fitness Industry Association looks back on the Labour Party Conference.

This week, was a busy week for Manchester; hosting Chelsea FC at Eastlands at the weekend,  Jonny Depp and Samuel L Jackson in the city filming, and hosting the Labour party conference is no mean feat in one week. Luckily I only found out that Jonny and Samuel were in town as I left, otherwise I may not have spent as much time at the conference!

An important conference for the party, Labour were once again reunited to lick their wounds after their defeat at the May general election and announce who they had elected to be their new leader. Arriving at conference on the Sunday, the winner had already been declared. ‘Red Ed’, as he had become known to some during the campaign, had been victorious, controversially for some as the previous forerunner in the contest, his brother David had been defeated. Ed Miliband’s narrow victory was discussed at length by party members throughout the conference and there were definitely divisions in opinions amongst party members.

Conference for me began with an intimate roundtable event with the shadow health team debating the future of healthcare in the UK. The current shadow team were keen to develop policies and listen to health stakeholder groups advice on their own areas of expertise. The main focus of discussion was around the plans for GP Commissioning Boards, which has been proposed by the current coalition government. Opinions on the proposals were varied and it is clear that more detail is required to understand how this will work effectively in practice. Unfortunately, public health was only discussed briefly. The white paper indicates that a public health service will be developed by the new government, perhaps implying that this would run separately from the NHS and the structures already in place. I was delighted when it was Steve Field, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners who raised this, declaring that it was crucial that public health was a priority for GPs and other members of the medical profession. It was great to hear that the GPs were singing from the FIA hymn sheet!

On Monday, I went to the London 2012 fringe with Tessa Jowell, Shadow Minister for the Olympics. Questioned about the sporting and health legacy, Ms Jowell discussed the legacy at length but as always with esteemed politicians failed to address the crux of the question. No actions that have been taken have resulted in a significant increase in physical activity and sporting participation. I pondered on her long response, criticising the loss of free swimming and praising the work of the Youth Sports Trust in increasing participation levels in school sport. I left, pleased that I had sparked a long response but disappointed in the lack of ideas and encouragement.

The most engaged labour MP, pioneering public health, surprisingly was Hazel Blears. Speaking at a DEMOs and Dr Foster Intelligence fringe, she repeatedly affirmed her belief that tackling public health issues were crucial for the health service and were crucial to health reforms. The dedication to public health given at that fringe lifted my spirits.

On Tuesday morning, I could hardly believe my eyes. As I sat with Fred Tuok in the Midland hotel following our meetings with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and Ben Bradshaw MP, I saw three people drinking Champagne. I had to check where I was. Yes this was the labour party conference. Yes it was pre 12pm. My mind boggled.

The leaders speech on Tuesday was the focus of the conference. I ended up watching it in the exhibition hall where I could hear the live version booming out from the hall, and the screened version which was on a 5 second delay. I knew when the clapping and cheering was coming. Ed’s first speech clearly marked that this was the new generation of the labour party. Only time will tell whether this is the new generation, a new era or a new version of the same.

That evening, as rumours flew around about David Miliband’s future in the party, I was told on good authority that his decision had been made and he had chosen to stand down from frontline politics. His decision was confirmed on Wednesday evening - a great loss to the frontline politics of the labour party.

What a conference! And one which will never be discussed without mentioning the Miliband name. A new generation, a new start, a new kind of politics? This story has only just begun. Leaving Manchester, minus the conference cold I arrived with, I reflect on the two conferences I have just been to which were probably more similar than they appeared on the surface. Both leaders’ were aiming to unite the party members, and show what they could achieve as a collective movement.

Looking forward to next week in Birmingham, I can’t help but feel the conservatives will put on an entirely different show altogether…

A Look Back on the Lim Dem Party Conference

Stephanie Creighton, Public Affairs and Policy Officer at The Fitness Industry Association looks back on the Lib Dem Party Conference.

On the first leg of my political relay I spent four days in Liverpool with the Liberal Democrats. This was a historic conference, the first in 65 years when the Liberal Democrats have formed part of the government. But of course it is not only a Liberal Democrat government but a coalition in partnership with the Conservatives, some of whom made history by coming to Liverpool and addressing the Liberal Party faithful.

Before this landmark conference we waited with baited breath in anticipation of the political fireworks which could explode before our eyes. Media speculation was rife about potential splits in the party and that conference would be the time for the left of the party to voice any anger they had over the coalition and its plans. But no such luck! Liverpool’s conference came and went with relatively little drama. Only a couple of motions and votes took a different line to the official coalition government position but who expected the Liberal party to vote in favour of the ‘coalition’s’ free schools policy?

The man of the moment, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, roused the crowd on the third day of conference with his leaders speech. ‘Stick with us’ was his message to the party, take the opportunity to change politics and make history. A firm speech was delivered which was gratefully received by the conference floor although this led me to consider what he could have said which would have not resulted in a standing ovation?? A confession that he was secretly a Tory who had infiltrated the party years ago and had waited for this day to come? Disappointed this hadn’t happened, I left the hall to reflect on his words.

Luckily I had been sent the speech so I didn’t have to remember much but lo and behold! There was no mention of public health and sport in his address. How could this be? With a public health white paper due to be published in December, the increasing burden on the NHS due to the physical inactivity epidemic, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games being hosted in Great Britain in 2012, surely this should have been high on the liberal democrat political agenda?

But fear not! One Lib Dem Minister covered it. Speaking at a fringe event put on by the FIA in partnership with MEND, WSFF and PSNC, the Paul Burstow MP outlined his party’s commitment to tackling the public health crisis. Referring to a psycho-social-physiological approach to public health, he said that the government had no choice but to tackle the growing number of diseases which were becoming a burden on the tax payer. Announcing that the government would be prepared to use regulatory intervention to tackle public health issues, Mr Burstow highlighted government plans to work in partnership with the private sector to combat these issues with a shared responsibility.

Earlier in the week at the London 2012 fringe event, Don Foster, Chair of the Lib Dem backbench committee voiced his support for the need of a physical activity and sporting legacy from the games. The audience, which was full of local councillors, were supportive and eager to get involved and capitalise on the power of the games in their local areas.

Although we are still waiting for policy specifics, and tangible ways in which industries and local authorities can get involved and deliver, it is clear this is a party (and a part of the government) that is serious about these ambitions.

And so the journey conditions.  Next, I will be reporting in on a new labour leader stepping into the limelight and rallying the party for the very first time and a very busy conservative conference who are still basking in their new government position.

Stephanie Creighton

Public Affairs and Policy Officer