A healthy city

Build programmes and community projects to kickstart an accessible fitness and wellbeing boom.

Health inequalities in Birmingham remain stark and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We want Birmingham to rise to the health and wellbeing challenge to enable citizens to achieve their potential and aspirations at every age. This means we must prevent ill health and maximise health and wellbeing for everyone in Birmingham.

One of the ways that the Games can create a legacy for health is through improving physical activity, mental health and wellbeing. In addition to the measures in the Cross-Partner Legacy Plan, there is an opportunity to support active lifestyles, encourage healthy eating and deliver wellbeing initiatives.

The Birmingham Health and Wellbeing Board, made up of key partners in providing public health, is putting in place a strategy for a healthier city. The Games can make a positive contribution to the delivery of its vision, particularly to reduce health inequalities and ensure all communities can make healthy choices.

The Games is also a unique opportunity to look at the local and global aspects of our food system. Hosting a global food summit will help us to develop a local, sustainable and healthy food economy.

We’re supporting the development of the Birmingham City of Nature Alliance, helping to create a longer-term, co-ordinated plan of action to support parks and green spaces across Birmingham and achieve environmental justice for Birmingham’s residents.

We will use the Games to further increase the outreach of health programmes in the city to increase physical activity, including Active Streets, Cycling for Everyone, Community Games,

Sports for All Hubs and the Project Brum youth leadership project. These will compliment the Commonwealth Active Communities (CAC) and United By’ Community Projects, which are set out in the Partners Legacy Plan.