Wigan goes against national trend as fewer children get enough exercise

Figures from Sport England's annual Active Lives survey reveal 50 per cent of children in Wigan were classed as active – doing an hour or more of activity per day – in the 2021-22 academic year.

It was down from 53 per cent the year before, when Covid-19 restrictions heavily impacted children's sports and activities, and was up from 40 per cent in pre-pandemic 2017-18.

Of the 944 children who responded to last year's survey, 20 per cent were classed as fairly active – doing between 30 and 60 minutes of activity per day – while 30 per cent did less than half an hour.

The survey also shows 22 per cent of children in Wigan volunteered to support sports and activities, such as being a sports leader, coaching, stewarding and refereeing.

Nationally, 3.4m children (47 per cent) were classed as active, meaning levels of activity overall had recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

The survey found 219,000 more children were classified as active compared to 2020-21 (45 per cent).

Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England chief executive, said: “This overall growth is positive but there’s more to do to help children and young people from all backgrounds enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity."

The survey also found boys were five per cent more likely to be active than girls, and children from less affluent families were found to be 10 per cent less likely to be active than those from more affluent families.

Mr Hollingsworth added there is a "long way to go".

He said: "That’s why we will advocate for children and young people, particularly those facing inequalities and less likely to take part in sport and physical activity, to be given a voice in decisions which affect their experiences to help ensure that those experiences are positive."

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said: "It is very encouraging to see a surge of children and young people returning to enjoy the benefits of physical activity since the pandemic. But I am clear that more still needs to be done."

Mr Andrews said £230m will be invested in grassroots facilities and developing a new sports strategy.