Press Release: Let’s get all British Primary School children running a mile every day

• Primary schools are encouraged to introduce The Daily Mile in Government’s Childhood Obesity Strategy
• 750,000 children in 4,400 schools are already taking part. As of today, the opportunity is open to all primary schools across the UK. 
• INEOS Founder and CEO Jim Ratcliffe says, “It should be mandatory for children to do 15 minutes of exercise every day. It’s not good for a 10-year-old to be obese. You’re storing up problems. It leads to ill health and people who are not productive and probably not very happy. When primary children do this, they all have a big smile on their face. We need to make this happen”

The latest announcement from the Government places The Daily Mile at the centre of its strategy to fight childhood obesity. The latest strategy further endorses the idea that 15 minutes of daily activity improves the physical fitness, health and well-being of young people and supports findings that The Daily Mile can transform the lives of young people across Britain. The Daily Mile campaign has been going from strength to strength in 2018 following a worldwide response to the ITV ad campaign, supported by INEOS and ITV, where thousands of schools have been encouraged to register their schools and join the movement.

Unlike many initiatives that have been and gone, The Daily Mile is straightforward and free. Notably, its ‘common sense’ approach is proven to work. Research by the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh confirms that The Daily Mile boosts activity levels and improves fitness and body composition. Its findings support the transformational benefits of the campaign. 750,000 children in 4,400 schools are already taking part. As of today, the opportunity is open to all primary schools across the UK.

Founder of The Daily Mile Elaine Wyllie says:

 “I started The Daily Mile 6 years ago whilst the headteacher of a small Primary School in Stirling. It is incredible to think that since then it has been endorsed by the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister and 750,000 children across 39 countries are now signed up. Thousands of young lives have already been transformed by this simple, free, effective activity and we are thrilled that The Daily Mile is now halving childhood obesity. It is a noble but achievable goal especially when daily exercise becomes a way of life and then maintained into adulthood. I am delighted by the commitment and look forward to working with the government to get British primary pupils running a mile every day. Simply put this is a win for children.” 

INEOS Founder and CEO Jim Ratcliffe says:

“It should be mandatory for children to do 15 minutes of exercise every day. It’s not good for a 10-year-old to be obese. You’re storing up problems. It leads to ill health and people who are not productive and probably not very happy. When primary children do this, they all have a big smile on their face. We need to make this happen.”

In May this year Prime Minister Theresa May said “The Daily Mile is an excellent programme. It is simple and inclusive, and it can successfully engage children in physical activity, who would otherwise not undertake that physical activity.” She continued, “I certainly agree that we want more schools to adopt the active approach and adopt The Daily Mile.” The latest announcement from the Government backs this up by placing The Daily Mile at the centre of its strategy to fight childhood obesity.

To find out more about The Daily Mile visit www.thedailymile.co.uk, to join The Daily Mile movement and download resources to get started. Parents and teachers are encouraged to follow The Daily Mile on social media to keep up with all the latest news and share their Daily Mile experiences with the team. In addition, there is an information line that can be reached by calling 0330 8800 100 (Weekdays 7am-8pm and Weekends 9am- 5pm).

ENDS. 

Media contacts

The Daily Mile: Joseph Wade (+44) 207 384 6980 – (+44) 7758 074 576

The Daily Mile: Chris Hall (+44) 207 384 6980 – (+44) 7739 571 634

INEOS: Richard Longden (+41) 21 627 7063 – (+41) 79 962 61 23