Active Teams

Calderdale Primary Care: A Year in Movement

What a year it has been for movement across Calderdale Primary Care!

Over the past 12 months, colleagues from Pennine GP Alliance and participating Primary Care Networks have clocked up a whopping 811,543 active minutes.

That is 13,526 hours - or the equivalent of 564 days of continuous movement. Together, Calderdale Primary Care colleagues completed 19,626 activities and covered 38,581 miles, enough to travel around the world more than one and a half times.

Walking led the way

Those impressive totals were built from thousands of everyday proactive choices: lunchtime walks, gym sessions, runs, bike rides and plenty more.

Walking made the biggest contribution, with an incredible 8,055 hours recorded during the year. Colleagues also completed 2,550 hours of workouts, 1,831 hours of running and 602 hours of cycling, alongside swimming, yoga, watersports and even wintersports.

It is a wonderful reminder that being active can look very different from one person to the next.

And it matters. Regular movement is one of the most effective things we can do to protect our future health. It supports mental wellbeing and helps reduce the risk of major conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. The message from the latest UK physical activity guidelines is refreshingly simple: every movement counts.

Daniella, Practice Manager, North Halifax PCN

"It created a fun atmosphere, boosted engagement across the practice, and helped keep everyone motivated."

Moving together

Team challenges added some extra fun, motivation and friendly competition throughout the year.

During Pennine Paths, 89 colleagues joined a virtual journey along the Pennine Way, recording 93,030 active minutes between them. Five teams completed the full route, while two went even further and conquered the 536-mile Ultra edition.

North Halifax’s Daily Boost helped make June the most active month of the year, with 109,140 minutes recorded across Primary Care. The autumn Find Five challenge then showed that even a few minutes of movement could contribute to a team’s progress.

In a typical month, more than half of participating colleagues who recorded movement were close to or above the recommended 150 active minutes per week.

But the numbers only tell part of the story. The challenges also encouraged people to take lunchtime walks, try something new and talk more openly about movement and wellbeing.

Jill from Calder and Ryburn PCN

"It’s been great to see people sharing ideas, encouraging one another and celebrating each other’s achievements."

diversity_3

The Active Teams Approach

The programme brought colleagues together through inclusive challenges designed to make movement feel achievable, social and enjoyable.

From Pennine Paths and North Halifax’s Daily Boost to the autumn Find Five challenge, colleagues could contribute in ways that worked for them - whether through lunchtime walks, gym sessions, running, cycling or simply moving a little more.

In a typical month, more than half of our active colleagues were close to or above the recommended 150 active minutes per week.

trending_up