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BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Flats plan held up by cricket balls can go ahead
A major housing scheme paused over fears about future residents being hit by cricket balls from a nearby club has finally been given the were granted permission in 2021 to convert Aire Valley House, at Crossflatts near Bingley, into 139 flats - once Sport England was satisfied people would not be struck by balls hit by batsmen at Crossflatts Cricket planning wrangle was highlighted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in March when he was discussing his push to shake up the planning England said it was now satisfied with "ball stop mitigation" plans for the site, including netting, and Bradford Council has said the scheme can be completed. Following submission of the initial plans, the sporting body warned that a risk assessment had underestimated the power of some of the players' shots, according to the Local Democracy Reporting the organisation has now said that high fencing proposed between the cricket ground and the flats would be sufficient to protect residents and the property."The applicant has now provided a plan showing the location and specification of the proposed ball stop mitigation," Sport England said in a letter to the council."This also includes details of how the ball-stop mitigation will be managed and maintained."The fence, if properly maintained, would "be enough to prevent injury to people or property", the organisation said. The prime minister used the delay to the scheme as an example of how bureaucracy can hold up development. During a speech in Hull in March he said: "There's an office conversion in Bingley, which as you know, is in Yorkshire. That is an office conversion that will create 139 homes."But now the future of that is uncertain because the regulator was not properly consulted on the power of cricket balls."That's 139 homes. Now, just think of the people, the families, the individuals who want those homes, to buy those homes to make their life and now they're held up." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
More Ball Games: Can changing prohibitive signs help make the UK more active?
Dotted around London are signs, thousands of them — and there is no mistaking the message, each word often starting with a capital letter as if to emphasise the point: No Ball Games. Are the messages anti-sport? The aim, at least, is to curtail play. But the eagle-eyed in the English capital will have recently noticed slight editing to some signs, a change from 'no' to 'more' and basketball hoops added underneath the now encouraging words: More Ball Games. Advertisement Behind this campaign is London Sport, a charity that is calling on policymakers in the United Kingdom to remove the 'No Ball Games' signs, to reimagine public spaces and discuss solutions that can help remove systemic barriers. Over half of London's young adults and children aren't meeting recommended activity levels, according to public body Sport England's 'Active Lives' 2023-2024 report. But this isn't just a London problem. UK Parliament statistics show that obesity levels increased from 15 per cent in 1993 to 29 per cent in 2022 in the UK. Over a quarter (28.6 per cent) of children aged two to 15 were overweight or obese in 2022-2023, with children growing up in deprived areas more likely to be obese. 'We've been speaking to different organisations about really low-cost ideas because, ideally, we would have lots more parks, sports facilities, and youth clubs for children and young people,' Emily Robinson, London Sport CEO, told The Athletic. 'But we know that money's tight, and if you want to get kids active, the easiest thing is to get them out on their doorstep, right where they are.' London Sport says more than 560,000 Londoners are put off by the No Ball Games signs, and each sign removed could make up to 80 children more active. No Ball Games signs first appeared across the UK in the 1970s, stemming from resident complaints, and are most commonly found on local authority housing estates. In 2015, the Denis Law Legacy Trust, named after the former Manchester United and Scotland great, worked with the city council to remove hundreds of signs in the former footballer's hometown of Aberdeen, Scotland. There is no system to check whether the signs are suitable or review to see if they should be taken down, London Sport says. Installed by those who own or manage the properties, including local authorities and private landlords, the signs are not legally enforceable. In south London, at the Mursell Estate in Lambeth, a sign has been amended and a hoop installed. This is where players from top-flight Super League Basketball (SLB) team London Lions filmed social media content to boost the profile of the campaign. It was shorts and T-shirt weather when The Athletic visited the estate, which consists of hundreds of flats and is situated between the busy areas of Brixton and Vauxhall. The Kia Oval, the 27,000-capacity cricket ground a 15-minute walk away, is sporting luxury compared to the estate's makeshift hoop. Advertisement No players are spotted on this midweek lunchtime. The only movement of the basketball net comes from the light breeze. Those walking through the passageway that the hoop sits on top of were using a different kind of basket as they headed to the Tesco Express on the nearby Clapham Road. Many told The Athletic they like the hoop, but said the location isn't a practical long-term solution, given the noise and vicinity to flats — even with a net attached to the stairway above to catch any inaccurate shots. A resident who did not want to be named told The Athletic: 'They should put it somewhere else. They are not experts, they are hitting the wall with every other shot. Pound, pound, pound. They came down here to do some filming, and they should have taken it with them.' Others suggested that an area to play helps give parents peace of mind that their children are close by, safe, and not driven to cause trouble because of boredom. Resident Tania Nunes, 30, said she had to take her children elsewhere to play. 'They need to improve the play area,' she said. 'I have two kids with autism, ages nine and 11, and they have nothing to do.' Market research and insight agency Opinium surveyed 4,000 adults, including 500 from London, on removing No Ball Game signs. Nearly half (40 per cent) of those from London were in favour of removing them, and 31 per cent opposed it. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, told The Athletic that he supported initiatives to remove No Ball Games signs 'where possible'. 'While he recognises that sign removal isn't always possible, the Mayor believes that all young Londoners should have access to spaces and places where they can participate in sport and physical activity.' Sport and physical activity on any level can improve people's cardiovascular health, cognitive function, social skills and mental health. So, what are the long-term solutions? 'When we're building houses and developments, we must make sure from the outset that there are places for children and teenagers to play and be physically active,' says Robinson. Advertisement 'It's not just a case of putting up a little playground that only works for little kids. But also, how do we build and design areas that young people of all ages can play, exercise, and play games? And also, how do we strengthen opportunities for children at school?' As part of the ongoing More Ball Games campaign, London Sport have amended signs in Lambeth and another south London borough, Lewisham. Since 2015, they have removed 130 signs in the north London borough of Haringey, in partnership with the local authority. Some people may disapprove of the removal of No Ball Games signs but charities and organisations such as London Sport hope that by raising awareness, they can help young people of all backgrounds be active.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Simply walking slightly faster is enough to ‘boost your health – slashing risk of serious health issues'
SIMPLY walking faster could be enough exercise to boost your health in old age. A trial on over-60s suggests exactly how much to increase your stride to improve strength and fitness. 1 It suggests small speed boost could help to prevent frailty, reducing the risk of falls and injuries, and allowing more independent living. Experts at the University of Chicago said picking up the pace could be an easy lifestyle tweak for people who find it hard to exercise. Study author Dr Daniel Rubin said: 'Even casual walking had positive effects on our study participants. 'People who haven't experienced frailty can't imagine how big a difference it makes to be able to not get tired going to the grocery store, or not need to sit down while they're out. 'Our results demonstrate that increased walking cadence was associated with an increase in functional capacity improvement.' The study recruited 102 people from retirement communities in the USA and compared their walking speed to their fitness. 14 extra steps per minute to boost health Some continued walking at a casual pace – about 80 steps per minute – while others walked as fast as they safely could, about 100 steps per minute. After four months, people in the fast walking group showed a more significant improvement in fitness tests than the casual walkers. The researchers said an average increase of 14 steps per minute should help to improve someone's health. A report by Sport England this year showed that physical activity among retirees is increasing but at least a third of over-55s do not hit NHS targets. Get fit at 50: Workouts for beginners and those short on time The health service recommends adults get at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week. Writing in the journal Plos One, Dr Rubin added: 'Walking is an important exercise to reduce frailty in older adults. 'It directly benefits the circulatory, cardiopulmonary and immune systems while reducing the risk and severity of various health conditions. 'Walking interventions are advantageous as they are easily scalable, low cost, and can be performed with no additional equipment.' How much exercise should you do and when? There are guidelines issued by the NHS and the Government regarding how much exercise people should do each day. People should be active daily, and avoid sitting for long periods. The NHS recommends an adults – those aged 19 to 64 – should aim for 150 minutes of 'moderate intensity activity' a week. This works out to 21 minutes a day, or 30 minutes five days a week. Or, they could do 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, which could be less than 11 minutes per day or 25 minutes three days a week. Adults should also aim to do strength exercises twice a week, at least. Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike, dancing, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking or rollerblading. Examples of vigorous activities include running, swimming, riding a bike fast or on hills, walking up the stairs, sports, like football, rugby, netball and hockey, skipping, aerobics, gymnastics or martial arts. Things like lifting heavy weights, sprinting up hills, spin classes or circuit training are considered very vigorous. What time should you exercise? Getting exercise into your day, no matter what time is a good idea. But you may want to be more selective depending on your goal. A 2023 US study on 5,285 middle-aged adults showed exercising between 7 and 9 am was the best time if you're looking to lose weight. Researchers found that early-bird gym goers had a lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those working out later. A 2022 study led by Prof Paul J Arciero, Skidmore College, New York, found that the optimal time of day to get your kit on might differ according to your gender. Prof Arciero said women wanting to lose fat around their belly and hips would do better to hit the gym in the morning, but those seeking to gain upper body strength or simply improve their mood might see more results from evening exercise. The results were the opposite for men. If you struggle to get to sleep, it's been found that exercise in the morning may help, but exercise in the evening may help you to stay asleep. Exercise, generally, can improve sleep quality.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ex-Lioness says girls should 'feel valued' during Oxford session
A former Lioness has said footballers "want to make sure that girls feel valued" within the game and during training record cap holder Rachel Yankey took part in a girls' football session run by Oxford United for Play Their Way, a campaign backed by Sport took place at the club's training ground at Oxford Sports Park, with the aim to highlight the changes needed to coaching to keep girls playing football and staying active for life. The campaign aims to transform the way children are coached amid a growing sports "enjoyment gap" between boys and girls, leading to increased numbers of girls dropping out of sport after primary school. The latest Sport England Children's Active Lives Survey also shows a gender gap in physical activity with girls less likely to be active than by Play Their Way featuring more than 1,000 children also found that girls are less likely than boys to feel encouraged and listened to by their who now coaches grassroots football in schools, said the campaign was all about "positive first experiences"."We want to make sure that girls feel valued within the game, within the training session, and ... actually give something back," she said in an interview for BBC Radio said watching the girls in Oxford helping plan, design and having "a real impact" on the session, "shows their value in it"."Once they've had input, they want to come back and they want to be involved." Yankey's visit was ahead of tonight's England match against the Netherlands in the Women's said some of the girls, "may want to go on to become an England footballer at the highest level" like the Lionesses, while others might just "enjoy playing sport and making new friends"."That's equally as important for introducing people to the game, to the sport and to a healthier lifestyle."Yankey said the campaign was about supporting coaches as well and appealed to coaches, teachers and parents to get more information on it."That may help one person to then coach a little differently and maybe think about the child first rather than how the session has to be run," she said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plans to change Exeter traffic flow to encourage walking
Changes to the way traffic moves around Exeter are being proposed as local councillors hope to encourage more walking, cycling and wheeling.A detailed new plan for the Newtown area is to be debated on 15 July by the city's Highways and Traffic Orders Committee, made up of city and county councillors.A report to the committee said the proposed Newtown Community Transformation Project was a collaboration between Exeter City Council's Live and Move project and Devon County of the committee are being recommended to endorse spending almost £500,000 on a package of measures, with funding to come as a grant via Sport England, it said. The plans would include banning traffic from part of Russell Street; introducing contraflow cycling along Clifton Hill and stopping parking in parts of Belmont Road, Clifton Hill, Clifton Street, Heavitree Road, Clifton Road and Russell Street. Pay and display meters would also appear in parts of Russell project also aimed to make green spaces more useable, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
