How 'This Girl Can' Is Still Encouraging Women To Get Active One Year On

One Year On, 'This Girl Can' Is Still Inspiring Women And Girls
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It's been a year since Sport England launched its groundbreaking This Girl Can campaign, and what a year it has been.

The fitness initiative, which celebrates women of all shapes and sizes, has played an important role in increasing the amount of women around the UK taking part in weekly exercise.

Figures released by Active People Survey in December 2015 revealed the number of women playing sport and getting active once a week, every week, has increased by 148,700 since This Girl Can burst onto the scene.

To celebrate the success of the last 12 months, This Girl Can has has teamed up with Marks & Spencer to launch a full activewear clothing range.

Two of the women who appear in the new ads are 33-year old management consultant Arti and 43-year-old development director and mum, Jo.

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Arti

Arti, who lives in London, fits spinning around her busy work schedule.

Speaking about her new-found love of fitness she said: "I love spinning. The lights are dim, the music is booming and the energy in the room is so empowering - I don't think about anything else when I am on that bike. I just focus on me and the moment.

"When I wore the This Girl Can range in a spinning class, I felt comfortable and motivated at the same time. ‘Hot and not bothered’ embodies exactly how I feel when spinning, so being able to wear that for others to see adds an extra element of encouragement and motivation for those around me."

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Jo

Jo, from Burnley, enjoys playing rounders to keep herself feeling fit and healthy.

"It can be tricky trying to fit rounders into my busy work schedule, but I make it my priority to go along and play every Wednesday evening," Jo said.

"Once I’m there, I get such a buzz out of being part of a team and being active. Rounders is so inclusive, it’s not ageist, size-ist, ability biased or exclusive in any way. Literally anyone can get involved and play.

"I don’t want to have to worry about how good I am or what I look like when I play, but being able to wear This Girl Can attitude with pride feels great."

Tanya Joseph, director of the This Girl Can campaign at Sport England said the response to the initiative in the past year has been "phenomenal".

"So many women continually ask us if we can release a wider range of This Girl Can clothing. So we’re delighted to be able to do just that, with products that will help women feel comfortable and confident when exercising – something we know is important," she said.

"We hope people love the range as much as we do, and I for one can’t wait to see women wearing their This Girl Can attitude with pride."

The full This Girl Can range goes on sale in select Marks & Spencer stores and online at marksandspencer.com from 7 January 2016. The items, available in sizes 6-22, range in price from £5.00 to £29.50. Sport England receives eight percent of all sales to help fund projects that help women be more active.

Inspirational Women In Sport 2015
Lisa Mason, Gymnast(01 of10)
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When Olympic gymnast Lisa Mason announced at 31 that she was planning to make a comeback after a 13-year break, nobody took her seriously. So, with no moral or financial support, the single mum set out to prove the world wrong. In the 2013 English Championships, her first comeback competition, Mason won gold in the vault and came fourth in the finals at the National British Championships after just five months of training. She is now training for Rio 2016. (credit:Alex Livesey via Getty Images)
Nicola Adams, Boxer(02 of10)
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Nicola Adams became the first British boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, at London 2012. The Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion has since become a role model to a nation of budding female boxers and has been justly garnered with an MBE. Adams is also seen as an inspiration in the LGBT community, and topped the Independent’s Pink List, which celebrates Britain’s most influential LGBT figures. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Clare Balding, Sports TV Presenter & Campaigner(03 of10)
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Clare Balding OBE was elevated from respected TV sports presenter to national treasure following her incredible coverage of London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics – and garnered a BAFTA Special Award. But Balding’s most inspirational role is that of tireless campaigner for women's sport - from gender equality and media coverage to inspiring young women to embrace sport. (credit:Jon Furniss/Invision/AP)
Jo Pavey, Athlete(04 of10)
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In 2014 (a month before her 41st birthday and just eight months after giving birth to her second child), Jo Pavey MBE won her first major championship gold, for the 10,000m at the European Championships in Zurich. As the oldest female European champion, Jo ‘Supermum’ Pavey has proved that motherhood does not make a woman less valuable – and that life really does begin at 40! Look out for Pavey at the 2016 Olympics. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Rimla Akhtar, FA Council Board Member(05 of10)
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Rimla Akhtar is the first Muslim woman - one of only six women in total - to sit on the 121-strong FA Council. Chair of the Muslim Women’s Sports Foundation, Akhtar advised Olympic organisers on female representation at London 2012. The Liverpool FC fan who plays and coaches, has been involved in numerous campaigns to make football more inclusive, including a successful campaign to get FIFA to allow women to play football, wearing hijabs. (credit:Scott Heavey via Getty Images)
Jessica Ennis-Hill, Athlete(06 of10)
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The poster girl of the 2012 Olympics, Jessica Ennis-Hill inspired a nation of young, aspiring female athletes to follow their dreams. In 2014, the Olympic heptathlon champion and British record-holder gave birth to her first child, Reggie. Months later she qualified for the 2016 Olympics. In 2014, the star bravely spoke out when her local football club, Sheffield United, was considering re-hiring convicted rapist Ched Evans on his release from prison. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Christine Ohuruogu, Athlete (07 of10)
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Christine Ohuruogu MBE is one of Great Britain’s most successful athletes of all time having won 400m Olympic gold and silver, and two individual world titles. After 2012, Ohuruogu, who also has a degree in Linguistics from prestigious London university UCL, set herself the task of visiting every school in her London borough to inspire a new generation of athletes. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Martine Wright, Paralympian(08 of10)
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Martine Wright is living proof that anything really is possible. After losing both her legs while on the Underground during the July 7 London bombings, the determined survivor began training as a sitting volleyball player and went on to be selected for the London 2012 British Paralympics team. Her positivity and unparalleled strength of character make her the ideal ambassador for disabled sport. (credit:Matthew Lloyd via Getty Images)
Fran Kirby, Footballer(09 of10)
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The shining star of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Fran Kirby’s meteoric rise has not been without its obstacles. Just three years ago, the 22-year-old Reading striker walked out of an England under-19 camp and announced she was quitting the game after being struck with a debilitating bout of depression – a delayed reaction to the sudden death of her mother when she was 14. Her remarkable comeback is testament to her courage and resilience. (credit:Clive Rose - FIFA via Getty Images)
Debbie Jevans, CEO, England Ruby 2015(10 of10)
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Former professional tennis player Jevans is the first female chief executive to organise a Rugby World Cup, and the first woman to be appointed director of sport for an Olympic Games when she led the double victory of an Olympic and Paralympic Games at London 2012. One of the few women sitting at the top table in sport, she is an ardent campaigner against gender imbalance in sport. (credit:Patrick Bolger via Getty Images)