Swimming key part of Government's physical activity plans

• Partnerships with both private and voluntary organisations to get people moving in their local communities,
• A new national Physical Activity Alliance will pool the resources of the voluntary and private sector, such as leisure centres and grass root organisations, to get the nation moving.
• More GPs giving brief advice on getting fit to their patients - prescribing physical activities just as readily as drugs.
• £4 million for 'County Sport Partnerships' to help bring together councils, Primary Care Trusts and other grassroots providers to coordinate and deliver physical activities alongside sports.

The plan also reveals the local cost of inactivity to each Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the first time. PCTs spend on average £5 million a year because of inactivity - a cost equivalent to 1,000 hip replacements or 170,000 nurse consultations.

The plan has been launched at the Local Government Association conference, Healthier Communities: Unlocking the potential of sport and physical activity.

Speaking at the conference, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo called for a 'yes, you can' approach to getting people active. She said: “"Physical activity is the key to stopping this country becoming the obesity capital of the world - and it makes us feel better. People of all ages can gain from doing more exercise but not enough of us do the magic 30 minutes, five days a week.

"We have to remove the 'no, you can't' messages across communities to create a 'yes, you can' culture - with more support, more encouragement and more opportunities across communities to get people active."

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham said: "Getting two million people more active by 2012 would be an achievement unsurpassed anywhere in the world. It was a key reason why we were given the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a big challenge, but I am confident that we can do it and make this country a healthier place for generations to come.

"From April millions of over 60s and young people will be able to swim for free thanks to a £140 million investment from Government, in partnership with local authorities. And Sport England is allocating almost half a billion pounds of public money to over 40 sports in a move that will help increase sport opportunities for all. We want to make sure that no barriers stand in the way of anyone who wants to get into sport and get active."

Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, said: "The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games make this the perfect time for people across the country to take up the challenge to get up and get active. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to enjoy sport and receive significant benefits to your health and by doing small amount of physical activity you can greatly improve your quality of life. By time the Games come we want two million people more active. Be it walking more regularly or cycling to work or even just using the stairs not the lift - if by 2012 activity is part of your life you'll already be a part of the Olympic legacy."

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Notes

These new initiatives sit alongside schemes we have already announced including the Government's Free Swimming programme to get more people swimming which has been developed with the asa and Sport England, targeting non- or lapsed swimmers.

For media enquiries about the Be Active, Be Healthy scheme only please contact the Department of Health newsdesk on 0207 210 5221.