Argos has been announced as the lead partner for National Fitness Day (NFD) 2016, with the retail giant set to significantly spread the reach of the “most active day of the year.”

NFD organiser ukactive has announced Wednesday 7 September for this year’s event, coinciding with the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games which will be attended by cross-party peer and ukactive Chair, Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson.

Last year’s NFD took Twitter by storm as thousands of people took part in more than 2,000 events organised across the country. ukactive hopes this year’s collaboration can give the initiative a much broader reach and set more people on the path towards a healthier lifestyle.

Argos – which offers ranges of products that include sports, fitness, outdoor toys, healthy grills and juicers – is working to help customers meet their wellness goals through NFD and its own Healthy Living campaign. The company will also involve its 30,000 staff in NFD and is currently planning a catalogue of initiatives for the event, with further details expected to be released shortly.

“Partnering with a nationally recognised brand such as Argos is a fantastic opportunity to promote the physical activity agenda and provide a platform to take up exercise for an unprecedented number of people across the UK,” said ukactive chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

“National Fitness Day is a powerful tool to raise the profile of physical activity and the role it plays in increasing the health of our nation. By engaging people across the country we can help provide a pathway into continued involvement in physical activity.”

Building on recent momentum, NFD 2016 will continue to promote and allow people to engage in physical activity on the day through free gym passes, exercise classes, outdoor events, taster sessions and a host of physical activities from health and fitness operators around the country.

In an added coup, minister for sport Tracey Crouch has offered her backing for this year’s event and is urging the public to embrace the physical and mental health benefits of physical activity.

"With lots of taster sessions and free events, National Fitness Day is a fantastic opportunity to encourage greater participation in physical activity, in line with our sports strategy,” said Crouch.

"It's great that ukactive is partnering with the private sector and that Argos will be helping to spread the message across the country to both consumers and their own workforce."