{"id":555210,"date":"2026-04-28T14:47:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/555210\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:47:17","slug":"age-uk-bolton-working-to-get-people-into-fitness-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/555210\/","title":{"rendered":"AGE UK Bolton working to get people into fitness again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n A study by Age UK<\/a> reveals that early experiences in physical education are discouraging thousands of people aged 50 to 65 from staying active.\n<\/p>\n

\n The figures show half of people in the North West dreaded PE lessons in childhood, and more than half a million now feel put off sport for life as a result.\n<\/p>\n

\n The findings come as part of Age UK\u2019s new campaign, Act Now, Age Better, which aims to inspire midlifer’s to get active for a healthier later life.\n<\/p>\n

\n Lauren McKechnie, chief executive of Age UK Bolton<\/a>, said: “Being physically active is one of the most powerful things we can do for our health and happiness.\n<\/p>\n

\n “It supports not only our physical wellbeing, but our mental health, independence, social connection and sense of purpose\u2014benefits that ripple far beyond the individual.\n<\/p>\n

\n “When people are supported to move more, everyone wins.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Senior couple jogging in a park (Image: Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n

\n The campaign brings together more than 40 national sport and activity partners, including British Cycling, Badminton England and England Netball, to help reintroduce exercise in a more inclusive and supportive way, reflecting changes over the past 30 to 40 years.\n<\/p>\n

\n Age UK Bolton is backing the campaign and offering a variety of activities as part of its Strength and Balance programme and other community sessions.\n<\/p>\n

\n Ms McKechnie added: “At Age UK Bolton, we have a specialist Strength and Balance offer, alongside a variety of community-based sessions\u2014from gentle dance to tai chi\u2014helping people to stay active in ways that feel accessible and enjoyable.\n<\/p>\n

\n “What truly sets Bolton apart, however, is the strength of our partnership approach.”\n<\/p>\n

\n She highlighted the charity\u2019s work with Bolton Council<\/a>, Active Bolton, and Bolton Wanderers<\/a> in the Community to create a “broad, inclusive and accessible range of opportunities” for older adults.\n<\/p>\n

\n She said: “Together, we are creating the conditions for people to stay well, connected and independent for longer.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The research also found that 42 per cent of people in the target age group feel anxious about joining a sports group or class at their age.\n<\/p>\n

\n However, there remains a high level of interest, with 23 per cent of midlifers saying they would be motivated by age-specific classes, 19 per cent wanting more beginner-only sessions, and 16 per cent interested in making new friends through activities.\n<\/p>\n

\n Individuals engaging in a vibrant fitness session, performing dumbbell exercises in a well-lit gym, promoting health, endurance, and teamwork in a lively and motivational environment. (Image: Kaspi Creative Inc.)\n<\/p>\n

\n The campaign features support from sports and media personalities including Dame Kelly Holmes, Sally Gunnell, Dame Denise Lewis, and Gabby Logan.\n<\/p>\n

\n Dame Kelly Holmes said: “The benefits of sport and exercise are endless.\n<\/p>\n

\n “It doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019re a professional athlete competing on a world stage, or a busy parent who has just managed to carve out a few hours for yourself one evening a week to head along to your local netball group.\n<\/p>\n

\n “It\u2019s about self-care, making new connections, feeling team spirit, supporting mental health, getting outside and feeling strong and capable for as long as possible.\n<\/p>\n

\n “Age UK\u2019s Act Now, Age Better campaign is a fantastic reminder of all those things and how important they can be for someone in midlife who is looking to increase their chances of living a better later life.\n<\/p>\n

\n “It might feel like a small thing, or a task that can be shoved to the bottom of a never-ending to-do list, but trust me \u2013 it can make a world of difference.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The campaign will run throughout the summer, with many partners offering free taster sessions and resources to help people try new activities in a welcoming environment.\n<\/p>\n

\n More information about the Act Now, Age Better campaign can be found at www.ageuk.org.uk\/actnow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A study by Age UK reveals that early experiences in physical education are discouraging thousands of people aged…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-555210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}