Up and running – new network grows Yorkshire’s physical activity
Thu, 09 Feb 2017 14:05:00 GMT
Kiara Lewis leads the Yorkshire and Humber Physical Activity Knowledge Exchange’s charge to bridge the gap between research and practice
THE University of Huddersfield has played a key role in the launch of a new network designed to increase Yorkshire’s physical activity by bridging the gap between research and practice.
The Yorkshire and Humber Physical Activity Knowledge Exchange (YoHPAKE) was officially launched on 25 January at a one-day conference in Leeds and provides a platform where research can be shared, questions can be asked and answered, and relevant physical activity events can be listed.
Dr Kiara Lewis (pictured right), Head of Division of Health and Wellbeing in the University’s School of Human and Health Sciences, helped to create the network and was one of the co-organisers of the conference.
“At the moment there is disconnect between what happens in practice and the research conducted to increase physical activity in the region,” said Dr Lewis.
“While there is lots of excellent research available and many articles have appeared in journals, ultimately we want it to reach out to the people who deliver physical activity on a daily basis and the YoHPAKE provides the platform for this.”
Members of YoHPAKE includes researchers from a number of the region’s universities as well as representatives from Public Health England, Local Authorities, County Sports Partnerships, leisure trusts, Sport England, National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, UK Active, the Youth Sport Trust, the wider education sector, clinical commissioning groups and GP clinical champions. The network has been nine months in the making.
The launch conference saw keynote speaker Dr Justin Varney, National Lead for Adult Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, talk about how to get the country active through local partnerships.
Other contributors to the event included Frances Cunning, Deputy Director Health & Wellbeing PHE Yorkshire & Humber Centre, Paul Butcher, Director of Public Health at Calderdale Council, Rob Copeland, Professor of Physical Activity and Health at the Centre for Sport and Exercise Science at Sheffield Hallam University, Anna Lowe, Physical Activity Clinical Champion- Allied Health Professionals at Public Health England, and Nigel Harrison, Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire Sport Foundation.
- The network is open to all and those wishing to register and become a member can do so online from this weblink.
