Manchester has been named the fittest city in the UK, with residents apparently exercising around four or five times per week on average.
Now this is a crown us Mancs will be willing to wear.
After recently having been voted as the city with the country’s sexiest accent, Manchester just keeps on going from strength to strength when it comes to titles, and in this case, quite literally, as according to new research from Vitality American Express, the city has been revealed, alongside the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, as one of the UK’s ‘fittest’.
More than a quarter (26%) of respondents to the recent survey who live in Manchester say they exercise at least four or five times per week.
This compares with Edinburgh coming close behind at 23%, and then when you take a look and these stats in comparison to the rest of the UK, the nationwide average is 17% of people who exercise four or five times per week.
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The most common response, however, was exercising two or three times per week nationally (25%).
Manchester has been named the ‘fittest’ city in the UK / Credit: Pxhere
As well as finding out the cities where residents like to keep their bodies moving the most, the survey also revealed the forms of exercise that proved to be the most popular in each location – and perhaps understandable to some, but surprising to most, Manchester has shown itself to be a city of pilates lovers.
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Overall, the UK appears to be a nation of walkers, as 34% named hiking as one of their favourite ways to exercise – with respondents saying they took an average of 7,550 steps a day, and a third (33%) saying they choose to exercise in rural areas.
Gym workouts take the silver medal for most popular exercise activities, with one in five (20%) of UK adults listing gym sessions as one of their top ways to work-out.
Residents apparently exercise around four or five times per week on average / Credit: Manchester City Council
Speaking on the findings of the new research, Nick Read – Managing Director of the Vitality Programme – explained: “The new year is a great time to reset and think about your health and wellbeing goals and it’s really refreshing to see such a variety in the types of exercise people are doing – from hiking, to football, to heading to the gym.
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“It’s particularly interesting to see the amount of Brits choosing to exercise together, which we know can strengthen relationships and community ties.
“Whichever activity you choose, getting more active does so much for both your mental and physical health.”
The Vitality American Express Credit Card is currently giving its Cardmembers the chance to earn cashback on their spending, while being rewarded for staying active at the same time, and you can find out more here.
Manchester to celebrate National Play Day next week with 100+ FREE activities for families
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to celebrate National Play Day next week, and there’ll be more than 100 free activities for families to join in with.
You may remember that Manchester City Council announced it would be bringing 14 weeks of free activities for children to parks across the city this summer, as Parktastic returned by popular demand with everything from sports, games, arts, and crafts, to dance, drama, nature activities, storytelling, and messy play to get stuck into.
And now, a packed programme of activities to celebrate National Play Day – which is taking place this year on Wednesday 5 August – has been revealed.
There’ll be whole series of free events taking place right across the city on a drop-in basis throughout the day – with more than a hundred different activity sessions taking place in the city’s parks, libraries, community centres, and youth clubs.
PLAY DAY is in one week!
Wednesday 5 August
All FREE
🤾🏽Outdoor games 🎪Bouncy castles 🎨Arts &Crafts ⚽Sports coaching 📚Poetry Trail 🤹🏽Circus Skills 🚴🏻Bikes and more!
Activities for children of all ages, across the city
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 29, 2026
Families can also head on down to two big Family Fun Days taking place on the day – one at Platt Fields Park, and one at Boggart Hole Clough.
Activities will run from 11am through to 2pm at both parks, and will include things like sports coaching, circus skills, cycling taster sessions, live demonstrations, storytelling, and a range of other interactive and hands-on experiences.
National Play Day is actually a country-wide celebration of a child’s right to play, but the day has a special significance for Manchester this year, coming off the back of the city earning recognition from UNICEF as a Child Friendly City last month.
Manchester is celebrating National Play Day next week with 100+ free activities for families / Credit: Manchester City Council
“Having fun and playing with other children is such an important part of growing up and helping children and young people of all ages to gain confidence and develop their skills,” commented Councillor Julie Reid, who is the Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People at Manchester City Council.
“We’re very lucky in Manchester to have so many fantastic parks, playgrounds, and sports and leisure facilities across the city for our children and young people to enjoy, as well as amazing libraries, galleries and museums right here on our doorstep.”
Cllr Reid said Manchester’s National Play Day on Wednesday 8 August will be offering ‘a whole host’ of different activities for young people to get involved in and enjoy.
You can find out everything happening on the day here.
Featured Image – Artem Kniaz (via Unsplash)
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A big preloved school uniform shop is opening in Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
A popular pre-worn school uniform shop where you can grab items at ‘affordable’ prices is reopening in Greater Manchester for the summer.
As the cost of living crisis sadly still continues to make its impact felt nationwide, Stockport‘s popular pre-worn uniform shop will throw open its doors for the fifth year running, and families are encouraged to clear out wardrobes, pass on school uniform items, and help local children head back to school for a fraction of the usual cost.
The initiative has seen thousands of items donated and sold to the local community throughout the past few years, helping families save money while also keeping perfectly wearable school uniforms out of landfill.
Not only that, but the scheme has also raised thousands of pounds for local charities thanks to incredible public generosity – with all proceeds from this year’s shop going towards Emmie’s Kitchen.
A big preloved school uniform shop is opening in Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: Matthew Nichol (Supplied)
As always, the shop will be popping up inside the town’s Merseyway Shopping Centre for the summer holidays to provide locals with massive savings.
Before then though up until Monday 10 August, a dedicated donation bin will be available for shoppers to drop off clean, reusable, good-quality school uniform items ready to be resold at affordable prices.
The pop-up shop will then return for one week only from Friday 14 – Friday 21 August, offering every item for 50p each, making it easier than ever for families to stock up on school essentials.
The scheme accepts items that are suitable for Stockport-based schools, however families with children outside of Stockport will find a variety of suitable items too.
“It’s incredible to see how this initiative has grown over the last five years,” commented Victoria Nichol, who is the Centre Manager at Merseyway.
“What started as a simple idea has become something the whole community gets behind, with families returning year after year to donate uniforms, shop sustainably and support local charities.
“School uniforms are only worn for a short time before children outgrow them, so if your child’s is still in great condition, why not pass them on? Every donated blazer, jumper, PE kit or pair of shoes could make a real difference to another local family, while also helping reduce clothing waste.
Emily Sergeant -
17th January 2023 
