ITV, STV, Sky and INEOS come together to tackle low levels of physical activity in children through national campaign

ITV, STV, Sky and INEOS come together to tackle low levels of physical activity in children through national campaign

• Starting today a national TV campaign, called “Thrive”, will promote the positive benefits of The Daily Mile, across Britain, supporting teachers and more than 4.5 million children worldwide.
• The back-to-school campaign calls on teachers in primary schools to take up The Daily Mile, which supports improved attainment, health, and wellbeing outcomes for children.
• More than half of children fail to meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance of an average of 60-minutes of physical activity a day. Less than half of all parents and teachers are aware of the 60-minute guidance.

ITV, STV, Sky and INEOS have joined forces to tackle low levels of physical activity in children across  the UK. Backing a national TV campaign they are encouraging schools to sign up to The Daily Mile, to give more children a healthy start in life and support improved attainment in class. 

The advertising campaign titled “Thrive” will launch today. It highlights the positive impact that The Daily Mile is having on children’s physical and mental wellbeing, helping them to thrive in school.

According to the Youth Sport Trust (YST), there is a growing concern over physical inactivity in children across the UK. This concern is reflected by 77% of parents who claim their children are not getting enough physical activity – yet under half of those parents (43%) are aware that children need at least 60-minutes of physical activity every day.

The UK government recently launched ‘Get Active: A Strategy for the Future of Sport and Physical Activity’, highlighting that more than 50% of children fail to do an average of 60-minutes of physical activity a day. The strategy promoted the Daily Mile as an example of a great initiative for schools and trusts to help their pupils meet the 60-minute recommendation.

The “Thrive” advert is supported  by research from the Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Highlands & Islands which found that The Daily Mile significantly improves a child’s mood, concentration and memory - enhancing their ability to learn.

Founder of The Daily Mile, Elaine Wyllie MBE, said:

“There is now more awareness than ever of the lack of children’s physical activity: kids simply aren’t doing enough exercise. So, we as a country need to act, and fast. Thank you to ITV, STV, Sky and INEOS for creating this campaign which I hope will raise awareness of The Daily Mile.”

ITV’s Director of Social Purpose, Susie Braun, said:

“At ITV we're delighted to continue our fantastic partnership with The Daily Mile into its sixth year. 15 minutes of daily exercise has been proven to help children's physical wellbeing but also their mental wellbeing. Well done to all the teachers and children doing the Daily Mile and we hope this campaign inspires many more to do so.”

Group Director of Bigger Picture, Sky, Fiona Ball, said:

“The Daily Mile is an important campaign in helping to improve children’s physical and mental health across the UK. At Sky, we want to inspire more children to participate in sport and we’re dedicated to making sport more inclusive and diverse.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS and supporter of The Daily Mile said:

“We know that the positive experiences we have at a young age shape habits for life – which is why it’s so key to help young children enjoy getting active daily. Running is the simplest, most natural exercise you can do, it’s fun and social, and it helps to teach the basics of a healthy lifestyle. As childhoods become more sedentary than ever, we’re proud that The Daily Mile initiatives have helped over 4 million children get up and running since 2012 – and are inspiring their families, too.”

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Notes to editors

About The Daily Mile: The Daily Mile was first developed by Elaine Wyllie MBE when she was Headteacher of St Ninian’s Primary School in Stirling, Scotland in February 2012. Since 2016, The Daily Mile has been supported by global chemical company INEOS, which has enabled the free initiative to grow globally helping millions of kids to get active every day.

The initiative is simple – but can be transformational to children’s health and wellbeing. It involves classes heading outside to jog or run around the school grounds for 15-minutes every day, at whatever pace suits the child best. It gets children active with their friends and teachers and refreshed for further learning. The Daily Mile is free, fun and fits in the school day easily.

Though named “The Daily Mile” (as children tend to average running a mile in the 15-minutes), the distance isn’t compulsory, and the ethos of the scheme is of inclusivity, enjoyment, and self-improvement over time. The Daily Mile is intended to help all children, no matter their age, ability or personal circumstances, enjoy getting active every day – getting fitter and healthier now, but also developing healthy habits for a lifetime.

There are now more than 4.5 million children in over 18,800 schools and early years settings, spanning 95 countries, taking part as more schools are joining every day. The Daily Mile has set out its ambition to reach 10 million children in the next 10 years.

About ITV Social Purpose: ITV is More Than TV. We connect with millions of people every day, make content they can't get enough of, and reflect and shape the world we live in, and we do all of this through the power of creativity.

Reflecting and shaping the world we live in gives us a great opportunity: to change ITV for better, and to use our content to reach and inspire positive change in the wider world. This is ITV's Social Purpose - shaping culture for good. We do this across four focus areas: Better Mental and Physical Health, Diversity & Inclusion, Climate Action, and Giving Back.

ITV formed a partnership with The Daily Mile in 2018, helping to generate over 11,000 additional school sign ups and nearly two million more children participating since the partnership began.

For more information, please visit itvplc.com/social purpose.