Paralympic champion Maisie Summers-Newton has issued a rallying call for people across the UK to get more active, as she throws her support behind National Fitness Day 2024.

National Fitness Day takes place on Wednesday 18 September and Maisie will help to get the celebrations started by joining lucky visitors at a special kick-off event hosted by ukactive and Everyone Active at the London Aquatics Centre.

The theme for National Fitness Day is ‘Your Health is for Life’, with thousands of free events being run at gyms, leisure centres, sports clubs, schools and workplaces across the UK, encouraging people from all communities to celebrate the benefits of being active at every stage of life.

Maisie won two Golds at Paris 2024 for the 200m Medley after breaking the Paralympic record and taking home another gold medal for the 100m breaststroke event. She also secured a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle. These successes come after Maisie won double Gold in the Tokyo 2020 Games for the 200m Individual Medley and the 100m breaststroke – all achieved alongside her training to become a teacher.

Maisie, who is also an Elite athlete on Everyone Active’s Sporting Champions scheme, said: “Physical activity is so important for my health and I’m really passionate about making sure everyone can experience the benefits of being active.

'National Fitness Day helps us to spread the message about the lifelong importance of physical activity, no matter what your background, ability or age, and I want everyone in the UK to get involved.

'I was inspired to start swimming competitively after watching the London 2012 Games at the Aquatics Centre, and I know the important role gyms and leisure centres across the country are playing to not only inspire the next generation of athletes but to keep the nation healthy and moving.

'I’d encourage everyone to take the plunge and try something new on National Fitness Day, find something you enjoy and use that to keep moving through the year.'

Fresh off the circuit from the Paris Paralympic Games, Maisie will join members of the public for a ‘Rejuvenate’ workout at the iconic facility which hosted events for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She will also join local children and their parents for a fun diving class to celebrate being active at every age of life.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: 'It’s fantastic to have Maisie joining us for National Fitness Day and to hear her passion for the importance of physical activity following her success representing ParalympicsGB in Paris.

'National Fitness Day is all about celebrating the benefits of being active, no matter what your age, ability or background, and we’re delighted to have the support of one of Great Britain’s biggest stars in sharing this message.

'You don’t need to be an athlete to take part, there will be something for everybody, with thousands of free events across the country – so get involved and take the first step to a more active life.'

Following the success of last year’s National Fitness Day campaign which directly inspired an estimated 10 million people to get active on the day, ukactive has again partnered with men’s mental health charity, Movember, and the world’s largest sports reward platform, Endurance Zone, to encourage even more people to take the first step in their health journey.

The campaign now represents the UK’s most active day of the year and is powered by thousands of gyms, swimming pools, leisure centres, sports clubs and other providers, hosting a huge range of free activities for people to try.

Schools and workplaces across the UK are also encouraged to take part, whether by hosting a ’10@10’ with 10 minutes’ of physical activity at 10am, or by putting on a group activity to encourage pupils and employees to celebrate the day.

The National Fitness Day Location Finder can help people to find their nearest venue simply by entering their postcode.

Activity providers also have access to the Digital Campaign toolkit, which is filled with useful resources and suggestions on how to promote the day and the events that they will be holding, both in-person and online.

For more information about the campaign and to get involved, visit the National Fitness Day website.

ENDS