Active Teams Launches Groundbreaking Workplace Wellness Initiative in Calderdale
HALIFAX, United Kingdom – Healthcare professionals in Calderdale now have an exciting opportunity to enhance their health and fitness through a groundbreaking workplace wellness initiative. The initiative is being launched by Active Teams, an organization dedicated to promoting physical activity and wellbeing in the workplace.
The innovative programme encourages staff to increase their physical activity levels through engaging team-based challenges and digital tracking technology. It is part of Active Calderdale’s efforts to make physical activity a normal part of everyday life and promote a prevention-focused culture.
September marked the start of the Pennine GP Alliance’s inaugural wellbeing challenge, designed to reward staff who complete 15 minutes of daily exercise. The challenge will run for four weeks, after which the highest-scoring team of employees will be crowned champions. Participants will then continue to be encouraged with similar gamified activities.
This pioneering programme is delivered by Active Teams and funded by Active Calderdale, addressing a critical local health challenge. Currently, one-third of adults in the Calderdale area do not engage in regular physical activity, significantly impacting their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Healthcare professionals working within the Calder & Ryburn Primary Care Network will be the first to be offered access to Active Teams, with further Primary Care Networks in Calderdale following suit.
Hannah Davies, General Practice Physical Activity Champion at Pennine GP Alliance, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “Physical activity brings significant benefits to peoples’ mental and physical health, but it isn’t a habit for everyone. We’re proud to support our staff’s wellbeing through this initiative and look forward to seeing how their experiences inspire patients. When healthcare staff make activity part of their lives, they can share its benefits in a more meaningful way.”
Nairn Robertson, Founder of Active Team, emphasized the need for innovative approaches to support the NHS’ shift from treatment to prevention, stating, “Services like Active Teams, which encourage people towards reaching healthy levels of physical activity through fun team competitions and challenges, are going to be an important piece of the puzzle. Many people are employed in sedentary roles and more employers should be considering preventative health measures like Active Teams, to increase staff health, wellbeing, and productivity.”
The initiative to promote fitness among front line NHS staff aligns with the government’s strategy to start increasing physical activity levels nationwide. The approach prioritises healthcare workers on the frontlines of our health services, as detailed in the recent government whitepaper “Get Britain Working” and “Fit For The Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England”.
Research demonstrates that just 22 minutes of moderate physical activity per day can deliver remarkable health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety by up to 30%, lowering the risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes by 40%, and minimizing musculoskeletal problems, a leading cause of workplace absence across the UK.
Active Calderdale works with communities to make physical activity a normal part of everyday life. As part of the wider ‘We’re All Active Calderdale’ network, Active Calderdale helps promote movement, increase opportunities to be active, and encourage collaboration across sectors – particularly focusing on underrepresented or inactive groups. This collective effort brings wide-ranging benefits, including improved health and wellbeing, stronger social cohesion, and positive economic impact.
Active Teams helps organisations build a prevention-focused culture where movement, connection, and wellbeing become part of their DNA. The organization is dedicated to promoting physical activity and wellbeing in the workplace.
Pennine GP Alliance is a member-led organisation that unites general practice across Calderdale to ensure that GP services remain at the heart of local communities.
For press photos and more information, please contact Rowan Kerek Robertson at info@activeteams.co.uk or 07900 022805.
Footnotes:
1 Mental Health Foundation: “Moving more is good for our mental health, so what’s stopping us?
2 Gov.uk: Physical activity: applying All Our Health
3 Gov.uk “Health matters: physical activity – prevention and management of long-term conditions”
Distributed by Pressat.co.uk
