THIS year, National Fitness Day will take place on September 24.

This is an annual event, celebrating health and fitness across the UK, and encouraging people to get active.

National Fitness Day found that, in 2024, more than ten million people were inspired to get active for last year’s event.

No matter whether you run, walk, cycle, or something else, whether you get active alone or play in a team, it is so important to ensure that you incorporate exercise into your life.

As the Minister for Sport, I have had the privilege of visiting a number of physical activity organisations over the past year. It has been brilliant to see the work that they do to promote active lifestyles and ensure that access to sport and exercise is as widespread as possible.

Getting active has a number of physical benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases, improving balance to prevent falls in later life, and improving heart and lung health.

I was proud to speak in a debate on behalf of the government earlier this month highlighting the positive impact that sport can have on diabetes.

Amongst other benefits, sport can reduce the adult population’s relative risk of type two diabetes by a huge 40 per cent.

Aside from the physical benefits of getting active, we know that there is also a profound impact on mental health too.

Exercise encourages a reduction in stress and anxiety, better sleep quality, and an improvement in mood, amongst other benefits.

Not only this, but exercise in the local community encourages social connection and greater social cohesion. I know that there are lots of people who have met some of their closest friends through joining an exercise club, group, or class.

However, despite these clear benefits, almost 12 million adults across the UK continue to be physically inactive.

We know that there are clear barriers to accessing physical activity, including socio-economic background, geography, and ethnicity. Here in Barnsley, the proportion of people who are physically inactive rises to around 30 percent of the adult population.

Shockingly, in Stairfoot, life expectancy is seven years shorter than in the more affluent area of Penistone.

Put simply, too many people are inactive, and it is disproportionately higher among certain demographics, including people with long-term health conditions.

This government wants to ensure that everyone, no matter what their background, can take part in sport.

That is why I was proud that this Labour government have committed more than £900m for sport across the UK over the coming years.

This will benefit villages, towns, and cities alike. It will support major international events, and provide new grassroots facilities, to encourage people of all ages to become more active.

While facilities are no doubt vital for community sport, it is the people who really make the difference. I take the opportunity to pay tribute to the thousands of volunteers who give up their time, whatever the weather, to make community sport happen.

Every day, night and weekend, people can learn, play sport and get active, thanks to others giving up their time to facilitate it.

One volunteer creates the capacity for at least eight-and-a-half more people to participate.

Sport and physical activity are central to preventive health, and the biggest health gain comes from supporting those who are inactive, or less active, to move more.

There is an evidenced direct correlation of increased activity levels in the areas of the country with the highest density of accessible facilities that are safe, inclusive and affordable.

Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to encourage everyone who can to get involved and get moving this National Fitness Day.

There are lots of brilliant sports centres across Barnsley open to the public who are participating in this initiative.

To find out more about National Fitness Day, and to find your local sports centre, visit www.nationalfitnessday.com.