Williams wants to link the penpal scheme with Change 4 Life
What is Born to Move? Set up over five years ago, this programme is the first from Les Mills to be aimed at children. As the early years are a critical window for forming positive habits, we are on a mission to get more children moving.
BORN TO MOVE uses dance, yoga, martial arts and athletic skills set to music. There are a number of classes aimed at different age groups: starting with two to three-year-olds and going up to adolescents.
The programme fits in with education, public sector, charitable and CSR agendas. A research study with Edge Hill University showed that two 30-minute Born to Move classes per week brought increased muscular and cardiovascular benefits, as well as improved confidence in being active and provided increased levels of physical activity to support a PE lesson, where the focus is on learning skills.
What was the motivation for setting it up? Young people are born to move, but in our modern world they are losing out on the opportunities for active play and the fundamental skills and self esteem which that develops. Reduced physical activity is a major contributor to chronic health problems and there’s growing evidence of a direct link between fitness and academic and social success.
How did the pen pal scheme come about? My role is to introduce BORN TO MOVE to sectors focusing on improving levels of youth physical activity, demonstrating how flexible and adaptive the programming can be in different sectors. I came up with the pen pal scheme as a way of engaging schools: they can use BORN TO MOVE as a cross curricular activity, allowing youngsters to link being active with learning about different languages, countries and cultures.
So far we have kicked off one successful project, linking a Yorkshire primary school with a school in Shenzhen, China. The children filmed themselves doing the same workout, shared the results and then wrote letters to each other, asking questions like what they ate for breakfast and if they had any pets. The letters were posted and they were all delighted to receive letters from across the world.
How are you planning to take the programme forward? Going forward, we want to encourage more schools, in more countries, to get involved. As well as networking with schools, I’m speaking to ukactive about how to roll it out. Ultimately, I would love to be involved with Change 4 Life and also get the pen pal scheme working outside of schools as well, which is something the health and fitness sector could engage with.
Williams wants to link the penpal scheme with Change 4 Life
What is Born to Move? Set up over five years ago, this programme is the first from Les Mills to be aimed at children. As the early years are a critical window for forming positive habits, we are on a mission to get more children moving.
BORN TO MOVE uses dance, yoga, martial arts and athletic skills set to music. There are a number of classes aimed at different age groups: starting with two to three-year-olds and going up to adolescents.
The programme fits in with education, public sector, charitable and CSR agendas. A research study with Edge Hill University showed that two 30-minute Born to Move classes per week brought increased muscular and cardiovascular benefits, as well as improved confidence in being active and provided increased levels of physical activity to support a PE lesson, where the focus is on learning skills.
What was the motivation for setting it up? Young people are born to move, but in our modern world they are losing out on the opportunities for active play and the fundamental skills and self esteem which that develops. Reduced physical activity is a major contributor to chronic health problems and there’s growing evidence of a direct link between fitness and academic and social success.
How did the pen pal scheme come about? My role is to introduce BORN TO MOVE to sectors focusing on improving levels of youth physical activity, demonstrating how flexible and adaptive the programming can be in different sectors. I came up with the pen pal scheme as a way of engaging schools: they can use BORN TO MOVE as a cross curricular activity, allowing youngsters to link being active with learning about different languages, countries and cultures.
So far we have kicked off one successful project, linking a Yorkshire primary school with a school in Shenzhen, China. The children filmed themselves doing the same workout, shared the results and then wrote letters to each other, asking questions like what they ate for breakfast and if they had any pets. The letters were posted and they were all delighted to receive letters from across the world.
How are you planning to take the programme forward? Going forward, we want to encourage more schools, in more countries, to get involved. As well as networking with schools, I’m speaking to ukactive about how to roll it out. Ultimately, I would love to be involved with Change 4 Life and also get the pen pal scheme working outside of schools as well, which is something the health and fitness sector could engage with.
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
