Sport England leads '#StayInWorkOut' movement to get Brits more active in lockdown
Showcasing the genius ways people are staying fit during lockdown, not even a global pandemic will stop Sport England from doing what it does best – leading a movement around exercise.
Sport England - It's time to join the movement
Responding to the insight that 38% of adults in England have done less physical activity or exercise in the past week compared to a typical week before social distancing, Sport England hopes to inspire more people to get active during lockdown.
At the beginning of lockdown, Sport England and it's ad agency, FCB Inferno, put out a call-to-arms – inviting the public to share their own experiences and join the movement online using the hashtag #StayInWorkOut.
The campaign hashtag has been mentioned nearly 13,000 times since the campaign went live at the end of March and is estimated to have reached almost 150 million users on Twitter alone.
The material collated from this call out has been used in an uplifting film backed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and funded by The National Lottery.
While previous Sport England campaigns pinpoint specific audiences, '#StayInWorkOut' aims to reach a broad, national audience across age and gender.
It is accompanied by online content supporting people who want to get active with their children and the over-70s, as well as radio ads voiced by Mel Giedroyc of English comedy duo Mel and Sue.
Discussing the launch of the campaign, Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England's chief exec, said: "Keeping active has never been more important when you consider the profound benefits it can have for our mental health and physical well being. We've launched this advert today to celebrate all the diverse ways the public have been keeping active, whether at home with their family or alone and help people feel connected through a shared joy of moving.
"We are now in the second phase of lockdown and we want people to continue to feel inspired so that fatigue doesn't set in, much like we see after January. People's relationship with activity has had to change as gyms and sports clubs are closed, and we're staying at home more. We're aiming to show that it is possible to stay active and even gain new habits, no matter your age or background. We'd encourage people to Join the Movement, share their own content using '#StayInWorkOut' and check out the website for free workout tips."
Adding to this, Sharon Jiggins, executive vice-president at FCB Inferno said: "As the country's lockdown continues, it's been incredible to see the public response to the campaign. Exercise is important for both physical and mental wellbeing, and this film celebrates the ingenious and sometimes unusual ways of staying active. Over the years, our work for Sport England has been recognised for its focus on casting real people and, our hope is that our '#StayInWorkOut' heroes will inspire many others to get moving."
