(North Warwickshire)
(Con): What recent assessment he has made of the public
health benefits of participation in sport.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and
Social Care (Steve Brine): There is a strong body of
evidence on the health benefits of participating in sport—
possibly not watching it, if last night is anything to go by.
Last year, a review by Sport England brought together evidence to
show the association between sport and physical and mental
wellbeing.
: As the Minister may
be aware, I co-chair the all-party parliamentary group for golf—a
sport sometimes labelled, rather unfairly, a good walk spoiled.
Does he agree that there are many positive health benefits
associated with participation in golf, especially for people with
long-term conditions?
: I certainly would, as
someone who used to work in the golf industry before coming to
the House. I was at Wentworth last month for the PGA, and a good
example of what my hon. Friend refers to is a social enterprise
that I met called Golf in Society led by an inspirational chap
called Anthony Blackburn. He founded a project at Lincoln Golf
Centre that works with people with dementia and Parkinson’s
disease to show that golf is one of the best leisure activities
out there, and gives people with those long-term conditions a
sense that their life is not over and that they can still play
golf, and play it rather well—probably better than me.
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Lab): In 2016, Stoke-on-Trent was the European city of
sport, but it faces some of the highest health inequalities in
the country. The Stoke newspaper The Sentinel highlighted the
power of exercise in its recent NHS SOS campaign. Will the
Minister meet the editor Martin Tideswell and my hon. Friend the
Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) to receive
details of that incredibly important local campaign?
: I am aware of that
campaign. Something that we want to see in schools across the
country, including in Stoke, is the Golden Mile. I see good
examples in schools in my constituency and across the country
when I travel. We are interested to learn more about what Stoke
has done on this subject.
