Mental Health

A key GM Moving priority is to embed physical activity as a tool to help improve mental health

A focus on mental wellbeing is key for the whole population.

Evidence shows that being active supports better mental wellbeing. Physical activity is a fantastic way to connect with friends and family, enjoy the outdoors and nature, and experience the joy of movement.

For adults, Sport England Active Lives data shows that people who are active report higher mental wellbeing than those who are inactive. Their 2024 report also highlights the positive impact of sport and physical activity on mental health.

For children and young people, research commissioned by Sport England found “strong and consistent evidence that sport and physical activity interventions had positive effects on the diagnosed mental health problems of children and young people”. A review by Edge Hill University, covering 143 studies, supports this.

What we are working to do

Across Greater Manchester, GM Moving, GM Health and Social Care Partnership, Mind, local authorities, and other partners are working together to better align physical activity with mental health and wellbeing support. As a partnership, we want to:

Strengthen the message about the benefits of moving for mental health and wellbeing, and share real stories
Promote outdoor activity, active travel, and green social prescribing
Recognise the importance of good places, facilities, and access to green space
Embed physical activity as a tool to support the mental health of children and young people
Highlight the role of community events and social connection through movement
Build advocacy across communities, families, and health and wellbeing teams
Work across systems in Greater Manchester to support wellbeing and reduce inequalities

GM Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

This shared strategy sets out what we will do together as a city-region to improve the mental health of people in Greater Manchester, to better support those with mental ill health and to reduce mental health inequalities across our city region. We believe that ensuring physical activity is embedded in the strategy is essential to realising its ambitions with considerable engagement alongside stakeholders across Greater Manchester shaping the strategy’s development.

Doing Mental Health Differently

A group of walkers smile and talk on a sunny day

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about mental health and physical activity, contact our Project Lead for Health and Wellbeing.

Contact Imogen Halls

Videos of wellbeing projects in Greater Manchester

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.

Men United Against Suicide FC

Men United Against Suicide FC gathers like-minded men who have suffered in many ways from a decline in their mental health and/or indeed suicide. Here we hear about how the club uses football to support their players’ mental wellbeing.

Trafford Health Services x Parkrun Takeover

On Saturday 5 July 2025, staff, patients, and families from Trafford NHS Talking Therapies and Sale Central Primary Care Network (a network of five local GP surgeries) came together to celebrate the NHS’s 77th birthday by taking on the Stretford parkrun at Longford Park.

Healthy Hyde

Healthy Hyde work with the 8 GP practices in Hyde. They are a Primary Care Network (PCN) supporting 72,000 patients in Tameside. We visited Healthy Hyde to hear how they use physical activity and movement to support their young peoples’ mental wellbeing.

No 93 Wellbeing Centre

No 93 Wellbeing Centre is a community hub at the heart of Harpurhey, an important place for the whole community. In the video below, we hear about how the centre uses physical activity, through bike libraries and gardening, to support their members’ mental wellbeing.

Chloe's story

As someone who’s suffered with anxiety and periods of depression for a long time, Chloe found a way of coping. Sometimes that involves getting outside and connecting with the world and with nature. Walking is perfect for this, and Chloe explains how.

Related work from across Greater Manchester

How Manchester Mind and Moodswings use movement in their mental health provision

GM Moving caught up with Manchester Mind and Moodswings to learn how two leading mental health providers are building movement and physical activity back into their service offer. Read more here.

Football Freedom Project

The Football Freedom Project brings up to 100 refugees together every week to play football. The sessions, funded by Sport England Together Fund, were attended by mainly women but also men and children from African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries. More information here.

The Federation of Jewish Services

The Federation provides advice, support and care services for people of all ages in Greater Manchester’s Jewish community. They used GM Walking and Wheeling grant funding to host socially-distanced walks to support those with a range of mental health conditions. Read their story here.

Stockport User Friendly Fellowship

In Stockport, this group used a GM Walking and Wheeling grant to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of participants through a Walk and Talk psychotherapeutic walking group – limited to 6 people. Read their story here.

Nature for Health

Nature for Health was an outdoor-focused activity engaging individuals most at risk of developing poor mental health and created the activities and support they needed, whilst making the most of the natural environment. More information here.

GM Big Mental Wellbeing Conversation

The Greater Manchester Big Conversation aimed to hear from people and communities across Greater Manchester about what’s important for their mental wellbeing. The objective is to use the information to understand what matters and to shape future

initiatives to improve mental wellbeing, making sure they reflect the needs of local people. The results showed that Greater Manchester residents clearly emphasised a need for more to be done to protect and improve their mental wellbeing.

They have put forward many ideas for how we could do things differently. Now the system will be working together, to respond to these findings to improve mental wellbeing for all in Greater Manchester. Read the full report here.

The GM Moving Podcast: S1 Ep7 – mental wellbeing

Eve Holt spoke to Ruth Rosselson, Resilience Coordinator at Manchester Mind to discuss the links between our mental health and our physical health. Ruth’s helps people manage challenges, changes in life, and stress by running various courses and workshops. Download the full episode transcript here.