Devon leads the way in getting women active

It’s official. Devon really is leading the way in terms of getting women active.

Sport England have recognised the good work that Active Devon did locally in 2016 with This Girl Can, and have recently given them funding to make their 2017 campaign in Devon bigger and better.

During 2016 Active Devon appointed two volunteer This Girl Can ambassadors to visit outstanding local projects that were designed for women and vlog about their thoughts and experiences. The videos that they produced between them were viewed over 1200 times and on the back of this, they took part in multiple TV and radio interviews to encourage women to take the plunge to get more active.

For the 2017 This Girl Can campaign with its newly expanded age focus of 14-60 year olds, Active Devon have appointed six new ambassadors with wide age ranges and life experiences to take to social media and tell their stories. They will also take to the road and visit outstanding local projects across Devon. Throughout February, they will be sharing their stories and encouraging women to grab a friend and get started on their own personal journey towards better wellbeing.

Emma Kessie who is 36 and from Exeter was chosen to be one of the 2017 ambassadors. She has been encouraging women to find ways of becoming more active for 20 years and has helped hundreds of Exeter based women to take their first steps on Active Devon’s school gates running sessions and through community running groups offering the NHS’s Couch to 5k programme. “It has been such a rewarding experience” said Emma “especially when you see the impact it has had on their health and family and the goals that they have achieved but also the barriers that they have had to overcome”.

Active Devon are launching their This Girl Can in Devon funding and inviting groups and activity providers who can demonstrate exceptional work or ideas to attract and retain women who do not normally exercise, to apply with the added carrot that they may well receive a visit from an ambassador. Groups that are interested in accessing these small grants and finding out more about the focus of This Girl Can in 2017 are invited along to the This Girl Can in Devon launch event on Thursday 26th January at Sandy Park.

The day begins with a Women in Sport workshop from 10.00am-1.00pm where groups and individuals can hear about the role of ‘Influencers’ in helping more women to access sport and activity. The Workshop will be followed in the afternoon with a presentation from Active Devon about some of the exceptional work already going on in Devon, how to apply for a grant and there will also be a chance to meet this year’s ambassadors and hear a little bit about why Active Devon have chosen them to front This Girl Can in Devon.

“Many women make new year’s resolutions to be more active and Active Devon want to encourage them to make that change, start new active habits and take a friend along to share the fun” said Hannah Colston from Active Devon. “Research shows that many women are put off by the idea of getting hot and sweaty and the fear of people judging them, but our ambassadors prove that being active can be a great way to have fun, gain confidence in yourself, catch up with friends and make a change that will have so many health, social and emotional benefits for you long term”. Each ambassador has given motivational tips and life experiences to help more women and girls get involved and they are wise words that every women can identify with. Emma’s advice to encourage other women to give something active a try? “Find an activity that you want to do or have always wanted to do and make time for yourself as you are important too!”

Active Devon’s vision is Everyone in Devon active for life and the 28 strong team have put a lot of their passion into closing the activity gap between women and men locally. Get involved, tell your story and get your friends interacting using #DevonGirlsCan or visit activedevon.org for more information