Hundreds of women are being encouraged to get active at a special event in Liverpool on Tuesday (8 March) to mark International Women’s Day.
Taking place at St George’s Hall from 10am to 11am, a team from the city’s Lifestyles Centres will be giving ten minute taster sessions of activities including Zumba, circuit training, Boxercise, badminton and Metafit which is a high intensity interval training session.
Working in partnership with the This Girl Can campaign, the aim of the free event is to celebrate active females and to encourage those who don’t do any activity to try something new.
The most recent Active People Survey revealed that in Liverpool just 15 per cent of women take part in sport and active recreation for 30 minutes, three times a week. This is compared to 29 per cent of men – highlighting the considerable gap between the sexes.
Throughout the session in the Great Hall, the qualified instructors will also be on hand to give advice about taking up an exercise and answer any questions people may have.
Anyone interested in taking part can register their attendance by calling 0151 794 0984, or people can just drop in at 10am on the day, although pre-registration is recommended to avoid disappointment. Those taking part are advised to wear comfortable clothing and flat shoes, preferably trainers, if possible.
Assistant Mayor and cabinet member responsible for sport and leisure, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “This event is all about inspiring and encouraging women to get active. There are many reasons why some people don’t take up exercise, and lacking confidence is a major factor.
“We want to debunk any myths, and talk about the obvious health benefits of taking up a fitness activity, along with the social side which can really boost self-esteem and create a whole new network of friends for people.
“The This Girl Can campaign and International Women’s Day are both so empowering – they have really strong, positive messages and I hope we can attract as many females as possible to come along and have a go at the taster sessions and hopefully make exercise part of their regular routine.”
The event is being organised in partnership with BBC Radio Merseyside. This Girl Can is a national campaign developed by Sport England.
Other FREE activities taking place on Tuesday which are open to people of all abilities:
Lifestyles Park Road Gym inductions, 9-12pm
Boxercise, 9.30-10.30am
Walk for Health, meet at the centre at 12.15pm and the walk will take an hour
Lifestyles Garston Zumba party, 12pm
Lifestyles Alsop Triple workout class, 7-8pm
Lifestyles Everton Park Circuit class, 12-12.45pm
Lifestyles Peter Lloyd Bums and Tums, 9.30am
Neon Tone, 7-8pm
Lifestyles Millennium Pilates, 11-12pm
Studio Cycling, 12-12.45pm
Metafit, 12.15-12.45pm
Metafit, 12.45 – 1.15pm
Classes must be booked in advance.
This Girl Can is one of the key campaigns within Liverpool’s Physical Activity and Sport Strategy 2014-21, which sets out the vision for Liverpool to be the most active core city in England by 2021.
The Strategy was developed by the city council in partnership with a wide range of strategic stakeholders, to address inactivity levels across the city, particularly amongst groups experiencing health inequalities. The city council is working in partnership with Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (LCCG) and Sport England to provide resources to deliver the strategy’s key campaigns and programmes. Physical activity is the key element of LCCG’s Healthy Liverpool Programme.
More details about Liverpool’s This Girl Can campaign can be found at www.liverpoolgirlscan.co.uk.
