Sporty residents have made Leeds the most active big city in the country as they flock to use their local leisure facilities.
And council bosses have now issued a rallying cry for even more people to take the chance to lead healthy, active lifestyles in 2014.
The latest national survey looking at adult participation in sport and active recreation across the country has seen Leeds top the list of England’s core cities.
Leeds is also the seventh most active local authority area in England out of 326.
The Active People Survey by Sport England shows 31.2 per cent of people in Leeds now take part in sport or active recreation three times a week or more.
The figures represent a rise of more than 10 per cent from 2005-6, when 20.6 per cent of residents were taking part.
Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council’s executive member for leisure and skills, said:
“These fantastic figures show that the enthusiasm the people of Leeds have for grass roots sport and leisure is growing all the time.
“The great facilities available in Leeds today mean that people can indulge their passion for whatever type of activity best suits their age and ability, and the results of this survey are a credit to the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in sport and leisure in our city.”
Despite Leeds topping the core cities table, the survey also found that 42.5 per cent of the population said they had done no sport or active recreation during the previous 28 days.
Sixty per cent of people in Leeds also said they did not take part in any type of 30 minute sport session in a given week.
In a bid to make it easier for those people to get involved in sports and leisure activities, the council will continue to offer Leeds Let’s Get Active sessions.
The free, hour-long gym or swimming sessions are available each day at every council-managed leisure centre in Leeds, with activities also being held in community venues.
Leeds Let’s Get Active aims to encourage people of all ages to be more physically active, especially those in areas of the greatest health inequality.
The council have also announced that prices for Bodyline membership as well as casual prices for swimming, gym and fitness classes did not go up in January 2014.
Cllr Yeadon added:
“One of the key aims of Leeds Let’s Get Active has been to give those people who struggle to take part in sport the opportunity to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
“Since the project was launched last September, there have been more than 15,000 visits to the city’s leisure centres and through initiatives like this, we are confident we can help narrow some of the gaps this survey shows and make the figures even better for this year and beyond.”
For more information on Leeds Let’s Get Active, visit www.leedsletsgetactive.co.uk
For full details on Bodyline membership, including a full breakdown of prices, visit www.leeds.gov.uk/sports/Pages/Bodyline-membership
