The International Day of People with Disabilities 2022 is being marked by the launch of a new Be Active Be Well campaign. Be Active Be Well aims to encourage people with disabilities to improve their wellbeing by being more physically active, in a way that suits them and their lifestyle. It will help provide people with the advice and support they need to find new opportunities for getting active in their own way.
Getting more Active
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Gregor Smith, has given the campaign his backing, saying “I passionately believe that physical activity is for everyone and I’m committed to creating opportunities to enable this. We should all feel included, and able to take part and access the benefits of being active.
“The Be Active Be Well campaign highlights opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport and physical activity, providing positive experiences and opportunities for more people to be more active, more often.”
The campaign is being run in partnership by Scottish Disability Sport, The Daily Mile, scottishathletics, SAMH, Paths for All, GOGA Tayside and sportscotland.
All these organisations will work together to promote the benefits that being physically active offers for the physical, mental and social wellbeing of people with disabilities. The campaign builds on the success of the previous, award-winning Be Active Be Well programme run by Scottish Disability Sport and SAMH, which ran between 2020 and 2021, providing online activity and wellbeing sessions. However, this time around there will be even more support for an even wider range of activities, including in-person sessions.
The Athlete Kayleigh Haggo, who holds multiple world records at Frame Running, has also voiced support for the new programme. Kayleigh said “Physical activity and sport are fun and have been positively life changing for me. There are activities to suit everyone, so give it a go, there will be an activity near you which you can try. Be Active Be Well."
Personalised support
At the heart of the campaign is personalised support for people with disabilities and those that support them, provided by Scottish Disability Sport. Through this process, they will get to know the enquirers interests, aspirations and abilities and can liaise with providers of sport and physical activity around Scotland to help find the right opportunity for everyone to get active.
There will also be help to access a whole range of activities, not only those represented by the partners in the campaign - as well as support and advice for activity providers who want to make their sessions or facilities more accessible.
Find out more
- Check out the Be Active Be Well web pages for more information.
- Get in touch with Scottish Disability Sport on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com
