Love to Move - BGF Parliamentary Reception

Sarah Powell

September 11, 2024

Thank you to Stuart Andrew for hosting a Parliamentary Reception for our British Gymnastics Foundation (BGF) to showcase the Love to Move programme. The timing of this opportunity could not have been better with the Lord Ara Darzi’s review and Keir Starmer, rightly in my opinion, announcing a reimagining of the NHS, (not just moving the deck chairs on a sinking ship) indicating that #primarycare and the #prevention agenda will and IMO must play a much more central role. This is music to our ears.

For too long we have talked about the importance of the nation being more #Active and how movement at all stages of life is vital to living healthier, happier and more prosperous lives but we have not invested system wide, our put in place the incentives and conditions for this to happen at scale.

Only last week we heard Tonia Antoniazzi at the NSP Group rightly stating that #Education, #SocialCare, #Health and #Transport departments need to work together with sport and physical activity if we are to harness and unlock the lifelong benefits of being active.

Collectively, the sport and physical activity sector already saves the NHS ￡9.5bn every year by preventing illness, and in total generates ￡85bn annually in economic and social value. However, the impact of the sector and the value generated could be far greater.

The potential is huge.

We are incredibly proud to be able to celebrate the BGF’s flagship Love to Move programme - an #Age and #Dementia friendly program that can be run in Care Homes, or in the Community.

It contributes to improvements in participants’ memory, cognition, speech, strength, mobility, and social engagement, helping individuals regain functions they thought they had lost and empowering them to carry out daily activities more independently. The programme is already transforming lives and communities, with independent research by The Evaluator showing a social return to date of ￡51 million. Please watch the video - to see the impact for yourselves.

https://britishgymnastics.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Love+to+Move+Programme++-+Transforming+Lives/1_g29kdk59/347356622

Thanks to Karen and Cheryl from Barnsley Primary Care Network (NHS) for demonstrating how Love to Move is benefitting their health and social care system and are running sessions in 29 care homes already. Taking Care into the Community. Tackling social isolation and loneliness in communities by bringing people together.

The NHS Long-Term Plan talks about ageing well, highlighting how people can now expect to live longer than ever before – but these extra years of life are not always spent in good health, with many people developing conditions that reduce their independence and quality of life.

Programmes like Love to Move can help address this challenge.

As part of Love to Move we are already working with NHS partners, Social Prescribers, Primary Care Networks and the Alzheimer’s Society but this is only in pockets around the country. We have the business case and the proof that this of the impact, we want to work with leaders and NHS professional across the country to ensure that everyone who needs this type of program can access it.

The ask from us is that Love to Move is made part of the Health and Adult Social Care strategy within every constituency. We are ready to work with Government and any other organisations who can help to make that happen.

Thank you to BGF Director Patrick Bonner and Head of Programs Louise Roberts