The Government wants to encourage walking

Britain’s outdoor industry has welcomed a campaign by the Government and Mayor of London to get the country’s citizens more active.

The Outdoor Industries Association said the launch of the Moving More, Living More project is a major step forward for its own Britain on Foot campaign.

The Westminster Government said only 56 per cent of adults meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 150 minutes of physical activity per week, and 28.5 per cent of adults fail to achieve even 30 minutes of physical activity over seven days.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he wanted to build on the spirit of the 2012 London Olympics and improve the health of the UK through activity.

He said: “The country was captured by the spirit of the 2012 games, inspired by our sporting heroes and their many achievements.

“We now need to build on this, creating a nation that’s physically active and improving their health for the long term.

“We need to provide communities with the encouragement to come together and realise the physical and social benefits of being more active. Government, local government, business and community groups must now join together to help make this ambition a reality.”

Andrew Denton at the launch of Britain on Foot at Westminster

Andrew Denton, chief executive of the OIA, said the Government move followed hard lobbying by the outdoor industry, including the promotion of its Britain on Foot campaign.

He said: “I’m delighted with this cross-departmental commitment from the Government.

“The Moving More, Living More campaign aims to promote recreational outdoor activity and not just sport, which is totally in line with the objectives of BoF.

“The OIA is working closely with the Department of Health, Public Health England and the 2012 Legacy Team, and sits on many steering groups to promote open spaces and outdoor recreation as a major solution to the issue.

“There are many opportunities for people to get active, along with boundless creativity and hard work from activity providers across the country.

“The OIA is really looking forward to helping drive this project forward.”

The Government pointed to the success of schemes such as Walking for Health. It said volunteer-led walking groups represent an accessible and social way for older people to get back into physical activity.

The Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support run Walking for Health, supporting 600 local schemes across England to organise short, free walks led by trained walk leaders.

It said more than 70,000 people regularly walk at 3,400 weekly walks led by 10,000 volunteers.

Whitehall said it wanted to encourage the uptake of walking and cycling in local communities through promotion campaigns, trial days, and working with national organisations.