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Mental wellbeing

Moving more is fundamental to better mental wellbeing

When we move, we feel better.

Improved mental wellbeing is just one of the many benefits that movement, physical activity and sport brings to our lives. Moving, physical activity and sport helps lift our mood and supports our long-term mental health – decreasing the chances of depression and anxiety.

Bee Well

#BeeWell is a youth-centred programme led by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud. Through a survey that’s co-created with young people, #BeeWell aims to find out what’s affecting young people’s wellbeing and identify ways to improve it.

Co-created with 150 young people from its founding region, Greater Manchester, #BeeWell combines academic expertise with support from the education, voluntary and business sectors in order to make the wellbeing of young people everybody’s business.

A young person swinging a bat outside

  • Headline findings included:
    • Girls reported lower levels of wellbeing than boys.
    • There are sizeable inequalities for young people who identify as LGBTQ+, who on average report higher levels of stress and emotional difficulties.
    • Only 1 in 3 young people reach the recommended levels of physical activity set by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer.

  • Recommendations from #BeeWell:
    1. Prioritise the promotion of physical activity among young people in Greater Manchester.
    2. Make movement more appealing and accessible to all young people in Greater Manchester.
    3. Celebrate the wellbeing benefits of physical activity.

  • Find out more:

Feel Good Your Way

The Feel Good Your Way mission is to demonstrate how everyone can create the conditions where our teenage girls can move their bodies more and improve their mental wellbeing as a result. It was co-created by GM Moving and young people, alongside #BeeWell, with a focus on girls finding ‘something you love, where you love, with who you love, and feel good your way’.

Feel Good Your Way bring partners together so that even more schools, clubs, health settings, and youth groups support girls to create positive, life-long relationships with physical activity and sport.

Feel Good Your Way is here to:

  • Highlight the amazing organisations creating the conditions for young girls (11 to 16-years-old) to move more
  • Demonstrate how moving more boosts girls’ happiness, mood, and overall mental wellbeing.
  • Encourage everyone to join in and celebrate great work that supports young people’s mental wellbeing.

 

Evidence Base

In 2024, Sport England published a new report from Edge Hill University which shows “strong and consistent evidence that sport and physical activity interventions had positive effects on the diagnosed mental health problems of children and young people”.

Edge Hill University collated and reviewed existing research from across 143 studies to assess the strength of evidence for physical activity and mental health among children and young people.

Their full report is available on their website.

Headstart

We are proud to have part-fund the launch of the Headstart programme in Greater Manchester working in partnership with the EFL, GMICP, Bolton Council, Trafford Council and Wigan Council.

The four club community organisations (CCOs): Foundation 92, Latics Community, Bolton Wanderers in the Community, and Rochdale AFC Community Trust will deliver the programme across the next two years as a pilot phase for GM until 2025.

The mental wellbeing programme will support year 6 pupils with the transition from primary to secondary schools. The EFL CCOs will work in schools providing one-to-one or group support in either a classroom environment or deliver sessions such as yoga and mindfulness.