EHFA welcomes ukactive

EHFA welcomes ukactive as the representative body for the physical activity, fitness and health and wellbeing sector in its re-branding from the Fitness Industry Association. ukactive, formerly FIA (Fitness Industry Association), was officially launched at yesterday’s #moretogether Summit in London to embrace the organisation’s broader remit and deliver its vision to get more people, more active, more often.

Across the world, inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality and costs the UK economy £8.2 billion per year. Despite the thrilling success of Team GB’s 3rd place finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a recent report by the respected Lancet journal showed that Britain is also flying high in the European table of shame as the third most inactive country in Europe, with 63% of adults not meeting minimum levels of physical activity.

Acknowledging the need to reverse these statistics, ukactive was officially launched at the #moretogether Summit in central London, with a call to build a broad coalition of partners from across business, government, sport, health and fitness to get the nation moving.

Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Prime Minister is backing ukactive: “I am delighted to support ukactive as it launches its plans to help embed physical activity into the DNA of our communities by getting more people, more active, more often".

David Stalker, CEO, said “ukactive is our new name and with this comes a new logo, new colour palette and new vibrancy, however, I will reiterate what I have always maintained, that it is not about our name but about our vision. Therefore I can promise that we will always live and breathe our long standing and uncompromising focus of more people, more active, more often to get the UK active”.

The new kitemark brand is designed to emphasise the organisation’s trade body roots, but can also be translated into a campaigning brand to get the nation active.

Harm Tegelaars, EHFA President said “I was in at the beginning of the FIA in 1991 and I think their new brand, name, and vision are to be commended. We fully support their vision and plans for wide cooperation for all who work in the area of promoting the benefits of physical activity. We look forward to working with ukactive as one of EHFA’s strongest supporters and innovators in our shared mission to get more people more active more often.”

ukactive is the new brand name and identity for the FIA (Fitness Industry Association).  Founded in 1991, the FIA began life as a trade body for the traditional fitness industry. Over 20 years later, the sector has changed and the organisation has now evolved its brand to be fit for purpose across the sector; as the representative body of physical activity, fitness, health and wellbeing.

The new name ukactive is part of a wider rebranding exercise undertaken by the organisation involving an in-depth stakeholder consultation process questioning delegates on what they felt the organisation should focus on moving forward. These results were analysed and feedback was collated to form the future business strategy and develop the creative brief. The overriding theme from this process was the breadth and depth of organisations, who either directly or indirectly work with the organisation and that the name FIA (Fitness Industry Association) did not adequately describe this.

For more information: www.ukactive.com