Sefton Leisure Services is to launch a new workplace health programme, thanks to a £50,000 grant from Sport England’s £1m Challenge Fund.

The Active Workforce programme will be co-ordinated in partnership with South Sefton Primary Care Trust and will monitor a pilot scheme consisting of up to 100 employees, which will run from February 2006 for 12 months.

The staff will be offered a variety of discounted activities at the council’s leisure facilities, as well as being encouraged to take up alternative activities such as walking and cycling.

The aim is to monitor the group before and after the pilot in order to evaluate the benefits of physical activity.

The pilot will run from February 2006 for 12 months. The lesiure services team will then present their results and recommend that the workplace initiative be integrated into the council as a whole.

Mike Lyons, principal development manager, said: “We are confident that Active Workforce will be a huge success. The results of the pilot will confirm that a health and wellbeing programme within the workforce is vital to employee performance and longer-term reductions in absenteeism.”

Stewart Kellett, regional director for Sport England North West, said: “Getting people involved in sport and physical activity is crucial to improving the nation’s health. We all lead busy lives and often find it difficult to fit activity into our daily routine.

“The £1m Challenge aims to overcome this barrier, by encouraging employers like Sefton Leisure Services to introduce opportunities for their employees to get active during their working day.” Details: www.sefton.gov.uk