Workplace Challenge launches its alternative Commonwealth Games

Workplace Challenge is getting behind the momentum of the Commonwealth Games 2014 and kicking off its own #TeamEngland Workplace Challenge on 23rd July, encouraging deskbound workers everywhere to make a half year resolution to rise up from their swivel chairs and compete against fellow workplaces to gain a top position on the Workplace Challenge leaderboard.

On 23rd July, as the opening ceremony festivities begin in Glasgow, Workplace Challenge’s electronic leaderboards will go live on www.workplacechallenge.org.uk marking the start of a four-week challenge designed to inspire workplaces to pledge their #CGresolutions and get active this summer.

The Workplace Challenge programme is funded by Sport England and is delivered by the County Sports Partnership Network and the British Heart Foundation Health at Work team, in collaboration with 34 County Sports Partnerships across the country. People (and workplaces) across the country are invited to log their physical activities on the Workplace Challenge website, clocking up activity points as they go on a quest to rise up the online leaderboard to secure the title of one the most active workplaces across England.

The challenge is launched just as more worrying statistics emerge connected to our inactive lifestyles. A report by the All-Party Commission on Physical Activity released last month set out a clear case for tackling what it calls ‘the growing physical inactivity epidemic’ in the UK. A survey by the cross-party group of politicians found we’re less physically active today than ever in history and we’re paying the price for this - £20 billion of costs and 37,000 premature deaths every year are connected to inactivity. 

Lee Mason from the County Sports Partnership Network says:

“There is so much research out there telling us we lead the most sedentary lifestyles in history, yet we continue to sit at our computers for unhealthily long periods every day. The eight week challenge we ran in January through the Workplace Challenge website showed a healthy dose of competition and a nudge in the right direction are sometimes all we need to get active. We decided to launch a challenge this July to inspire people to make half year #CGresolutions on the back of the buzz around the Commonwealth Games.”

Mike Diaper, Executive Director Community Sport from Sport England says:

“The Commonwealth Games will peak people’s interest in sport again and it is our job to get as many people as possible out playing sport on a regular basis. The Workplace Challenge is a good opportunity to put into practice the inspiration gained from the athletes taking part in the Games, to improve their lifestyles, and use that motivation to create a sporting habit for life.”

The campaign is also supported by the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and a number of athletes, who are setting challenges during the four week period to encourage participation in the campaign.

Participants in the challenge are encouraged to share their #TeamEngland inspired #CGresolutions on social media. The aim is to open people’s mind to trying new sports, using the 17 Commonwealth Games sporting categories Team England are competing in as inspiration. The challenge concludes at midnight on Saturday 16th August and winners will be announced shortly after.

For more information, visit www.workplacechallenge or contact your local County Sports Partnership (you can find them here - www.cspnetwork.org).

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Workplace Challenge

• Workplace Challenge is a free online platform enabling people to log all of their physical activity.

• Throughout 2014, employees and employers will be encouraged to start logging and generate points, enabling them to take part in a series of challenges, events and competitions.

• Points are calculated according to Metabolic Equivalents (METs) where 1MET is a person's average seated energy expenditure which is equivalent to 1kcal.kg-1.h-1. MET values will be different for different forms of exercise and will increase with the intensity and duration of exercise.

• Active loggers will be able to see a variety of stats including distance travelled, calories burned and CO2 saved.

• A minimum of three registered employees are required for a workplace to appear in a leaderboard and people can also track their own individual progress locally and nationally.

• The platform has been developed, following a successful pilot by Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport, with £500k investment from Sport England and will be run by the County Sports Partnership Network with support from the British Heart Foundation Health at Work team.

• Local County Sports Partnerships will manage the online platform for their community, ensuring that there are challenges, activities and competitions available offline to encourage people to stay active.

• It is anticipated that many people will use the platform to fundraise. E.g. The platform is already being used to support the ‘Run to Remember’ helping the Police in raising money for PC Nicola Hughes Memorial Fund, Victim Support, Care of Police Survivors and the North West Police Benevolent Fund.

• The National Workplace Challenge took place January 6 – March 2, 2014 and saw more than 11,700 individuals from over 2,200 workplaces get involved. Over 280,000 activities were logged over 230,000 hours equating to more than 26 years of activity. In addition, 118,000 trips were recorded covering over 634,000 miles; enough to go around the earth 25 times and more than 65,000kg of CO2 had been saved through active travel trips logged.

• Across the country, the Workplace Challenge continues to encourage individuals and employers to get active in the workplace. With over thirty County Sports Partnerships offering local activities there are plenty of ways to get involved and get active. www.workplacechallenge.org.uk

County Sports Partnership Network

• The CSP Network, is responsible for encouraging people to lead healthier and active lifestyles, through the delivery of National sport and physical activity programmes, shaped in partnership with key stakeholders to meet the needs of local communities.

• The CSP Network comprises of 45 accredited teams, located across England.

• As a registered charity, the network receives funding from a variety of Government and non-Governmental sources each with ambition to achieve the health and physical activity agenda.

• Programmes reach a wide and diverse audience including: Sportivate (teen/young adults), School Games (school children), Community Games (community groups) and Workplace Challenge (employers/ employees) as well as providing support across a range of National Governing Body campaigns and disability sports.

• The CSP Network was responsible for delivering 'The Community Games' – one of the most successful community legacy campaigns seen across the UK, inspired by 2012, attracting over 2 million members of the public to come together in local communities (parks, halls, clubs and open spaces) to take part in physically active cultural events.

British Heart Foundation Health at Work (HaW)

• Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer. For over 50 years we’ve pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But so many people still need our help. From babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many Mums, Dads and Grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure. Join our fight for every heartbeat in the UK. Every pound raised, minute of your time and donation to our shops will help make a difference to people’s lives. For more information visit bhf.org.uk.

• Through its free Health at Work programme, the BHF works with employers to help them create health and wellbeing initiatives that can improve the health and productivity of their workforce. The scheme includes free tools and resources employers can use to encourage their workers to get active, eat well and reduce their stress. More than 7,000 organisations have already benefited from the programme.

County Sports Partnerships involved in 2014/15

• Active Cumbria
• Active Devon
• Active Essex
• Active Norfolk
• Birmingham
• Bucks
• CSW
• County Durham Sport
• Derbyshire Sport
• Energize Shropshire Telford and Wrekin
• Get Berkshire Active
• Greater Sport (Manchester)
• Hertfordshire (HSP)
• Hereford & Worcestershire
• Leicester-Shire & Rutland Sport
• Lincolnshire
• Living Sport (Cambridgeshire & Peterborough)
• London Sport (merger of the five PRO-ACTIVE partnerships)
• Northamptonshire Sport
• Merseyside
• North Yorkshire Sport
• Northumberland Sport
• Oxfordshire
• Suffolk Sport
• Somerset
• South Yorkshire Sport
• Team Beds and Luton
• Tees Valley
• Sport across Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent
• Sport Hampshire & IOW
• Sport Nottinghamshire
• Wesport
• Wiltshire & Swindon
• West Yorkshire Sport

Kate Allum, Citydesk Sport, on behalf of Workplace Challenge and County Sports Partnership Network.

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