Welcome to the website of Fitter Futures, the Eastern Region project to help develop and support increased participation and volunteering in sport and physical activity by people in their 'midlife' stage of life. This generally refers to people in their late 40's, 50's and early 60's.

Who Is This Website For?

The aim of this website is to be a source of useful documents, websites, research, case studies and key considerations to support service deliverers whether from the voluntary, statutory or private sector.

We would also like the website to be a way of sharing information across the region (and further a field) and encourage you to use the Get In Touch! page to share any information, ideas, resources, case studies, role models, views etc you have with us.  Or if you would prefer, leave a brief comment on our Comments / Feedback page.

Why A Focus On Midlife?

The East of England has a fast growing and ageing population. By the early 2020's half of all adults in the region are likely to be over the age of 50. The 50-64 yr age group is estimated to increase by nearly 30%, and the 65-74 yr age group (those people in midlife now!) is estimated to increase by almost 45%.

Research has shown that physical activity (through sport, active recreation and active daily living) can result in significant improvements in physical, psychological and social health across all ages, however participation in sports and activity has continuously been shown to decrease as people get older.

Many sports and activity initiatives currently in place focus on provision for the young (youth sports development, talent identification, Step into Sport etc) or for the older (retired) and less able (daytime gentle exercise, chair based exercise sessions, falls prevention programmes etc)

The requirements of people in 'midlife' however are largely unrepresented.  People at this stage of life are unlikely to respond to services and messages aimed at 'older' people, yet may equally feel that their needs are not recognised or met by generic adult services.  Services appropriate for and accessible by people in 'midlife' currently, therefore, represent a gap in provision.

Project Information

Fitter Futures is a 3yr project of Age Concern Eastern Region, with support from Sport England East, The East of England Regional Assembly and Government Office East. Age Concern is a federation of registered charities.