FIA funding pledge
Fred Turok, chair of the Fitness Industry Association (FIA), has pledged that the health and fitness industry would double any investment made by the government to improve the nation’s health.
Speaking at the FIA’s Delivering the Public Health Strategy summit in London, Turok said he was “depressed” to learn that 25% of children entering schools are obese and that the epidemic had to be tackled head on.

“I pledge, that for every £1 this government spends on getting more people more active, more often, we will invest £2,” said Turok.

“This is not an empty pledge, it is a pledge I hope will act as a catalyst for action and one which will help this nation start to reverse the frightening public health trends we face.”
Conservative shadow secretary of state for health, Andrew Lansley MP, and his Liberal Democrat equivalent Norman Lamb – who both attended the event – told the 140 fitness industry leaders and MPs that they welcomed and wholeheartedly supported the industry's initiative and pledged their support for it.
Lansley also expressed a wish to work closely with the industry and to invest in prevention and intervention strategies to tackle obesity and its associated lifestyle related diseases.

Fitness sector still buoyant
The value of the UK fitness industry increased by 2.6% in the last year, giving the sector an estimated value of around £3.7bn. According to the Fitness Industry Association’s (FIA) State of the Industry Report, the net increase of 41 fitness facilities, during the year to 31 March 2008, means that there are now 5,755 health clubs in the UK.

The report, compiled by The Leisure Database Company (LDC), also showed a 0.6% increase in the number of members at UK health clubs. The figures reveal that growth is slowing down and was lower than the year before in all three key indicators – number of fitness facilities, members and market value.

David Minton, director of LDC, said: “Fitness operators will not be surprised by these figures. There is a slowdown, as you’d expect with the current economic conditions, yet it is encouraging to see the overall market value for the industry has increased. This shows that operators have been able to maintain margins and not resort to discounting.”

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