Blackpool residents should be encouraged to make more use of the town’s beaches and ballrooms as part of their journey to fitness.
That was the message as health chiefs were given an update into work to encourage more people to stay active.
A report to the Health and Wellbeing Board sets out a number of schemes designed to give residents a wider range of opportunities to boost their fitness without going down the traditional route of joining a gym.
Move Together Blackpool, which is a council led strategy to improve health through physical activity, has been working with Sport England to set out priorities which include bringing different organisations together.
Liz Petch, a specialist in the council’s public health team, said: “When we think about what is different about Blackpool, it’s our lush coastline.
“We need to maximise that as a lot of our residents don’t go there. Also we are the capital of dance and we have two ballrooms and dance is a brilliant way to get people moving. So I want us to think about activity in all shapes and sizes.”
Laura Ivinson, programme manager of Move Together Blackpool, said: “It is not about more provision as we are rich in that, but it is about helping people access provision.”
A report presented to the committee adds: “Move Together Blackpool is a whole system change approach focussed on improving the health and wellbeing of people living in Blackpool through physical activity.
“We know radical change cannot be done in isolation and needs meaningful conversations with residents and partner organisations, to ensure efforts are representative and impactful.”
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