ITV, STV, Sky, and Channel 4 unite to promote the mental and physical health benefits of the Daily Mile

ITV, STV, Sky, and Channel 4 unite to promote the mental and physical health benefits of the Daily Mile, supporting 3 million children worldwide.

ITV, STV, Sky, and Channel 4 have joined together in a national campaign to encourage millions of children to get back to being fit and active with The Daily Mile.

Launching today, the TV advertising campaign highlights the powerful impact that The Daily Mile has on children’s physical and mental wellbeing. This campaign is part of a £10m commitment from broadcasters, and INEOS’ ongoing support to improve children’s physical and mental health.

The fast-growing initiative for primary schools has been a huge success with children, parents and teachers worldwide. It has been particularly effective in getting children moving again after the disruption caused by Covid and school closures. The Daily Mile recently reported that the number of children running a mile a day has skyrocketed to more than 3 million (3,175,461) in over 13,000 schools and nurseries, spanning 85 countries now taking part.

The Daily Mile is inclusive and accessible to all. It encourages children to run, jog, wheel or walk at their own pace outdoors for 15 minutes every day, has also been proven to improve concentration and attainment in class.

The Daily Mile was first developed in 2012 by Scottish headteacher Elaine Wyllie MBE. Since 2016 it has been supported by INEOS, who funded the creation of the advert.

ITV formed a partnership with The Daily Mile in 2018, helping the campaign to generate over 7,000 additional schools sign ups and nearly 2 million more children participating since the partnership began.

ITV’s Senior Manager of Social Purpose, Annabel Barratt, said:

“We’re incredibly proud of the success of our partnership with the Daily Mile so far. After the last school year was so difficult, ITV wants to use our platform and reach to encourage more healthy choices, and we’re so pleased Sky and Channel 4 are on board too. We know The Daily Mile boosts children’s mental wellbeing, concentration and self-esteem as well as their physical health so we’re excited to be helping as many schools as possible take part”  

Verica Djurdjevic, Chief Revenue Officer, Channel 4 said:  “The past school year has been really tough and means this initiative is more important than ever for the growing number of children benefitting from the boost to both their physical and mental health. It’s a great example of the positive impact broadcaster collaboration is delivering.”

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

“We’re delighted to partner with ITV, STV and Channel 4 once again to support The Daily Mile’s work to encourage children across the country to make choices that will support their physical and mental health. At Sky, we believe in using our reach for good and want to provide young people of all backgrounds a voice and support a better future for themselves and society.”

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

“Thank you to ITV, STV, Sky, Channel 4. Their help to raise awareness of the benefits of The Daily Mile is so important. It’s been brilliant to see children returning to school and back to The Daily Mile. They are all having fun together outdoors and staying fit in a way that comes naturally to them. We want to help schools as they do a great job of supporting children to be happier and more physically active - this has never been as important as it is now.”

Teachers and parents are encouraged to visit www.thedailymile.co.uk for further information on how they can participate in The Daily Mile safely and in accordance with the latest Government guidelines.

ITV’s investment in the importance of children’s mental and physical health extends across other initiatives including Britain Get Talking and Eat Them To Defeat Them.

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Note to editors

The Daily Mile

The Daily Mile 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.

A growing network of academic research continues to highlight the many benefits of regular participation in The Daily Mile for children’s physical and mental health and their learning. In 2018 research findings from the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh urged policymakers to consider introducing The Daily Mile to improve the health and fitness of schoolchildren. It confirmed that the initiative boosts activity levels in class and improves fitness and body composition. To continue to explore the impact of The Daily Mile on children’s physical health and educational attainment The Daily Mile has partnered with Imperial College London to undertake a three-year scientific study.

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.

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.

For more information, please visit itvplc.com/socialpurpose