In a move that’s bound to inspire both gym goers and everyday sports buffs, Olympian Emily Campbell is charging ahead with a bold plan to Make Britain Stronger.
Team GB Olympic weightlifter Emily Campbell has unveiled a three-step strategy designed to help millions embrace strength training and meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines.
Speaking on Sky News Breakfast on 6 March alongside ukactive CEO Huw Edwards, Emily outlined her ambition to get people off the couch and into a routine that builds lasting strength.
The CMO recommends that adults engage in strength exercises at least twice a week—whether it’s heavy gardening, carrying shopping bags, or hitting the gym—to keep those major muscle groups in fighting form.
The campaign’s momentum didn’t stop at the TV screen. Later that day, Emily addressed 500 health experts, physical activity leaders, and policymakers at ukactive’s Active Uprising conference held at the QEII Centre in Westminster.
Just a day earlier, on 5 March, the Olympic medalist made her presence felt in Parliament, urging the Government and the NHS to join forces with the sport and physical activity sector to drive meaningful change.
It isn’t merely about bulging biceps; there’s a compelling economic and health case here too. Research shows that strength training can help manage musculoskeletal conditions, reducing the incidence of falls and fractures—a concern that costs the NHS a staggering £4.4bn annually, with hospital treatments for falls adding another £630m to the bill. As any seasoned sportsman might quip, a bit of strength can go a long way in saving more than just face.
Emily envisions the UK’s gyms, swimming pools, and leisure centres as the engine room for a stronger nation. Studies have also highlighted the mental benefits, noting reductions in anxiety and depression, alongside improvements in energy, sleep, and self-esteem across all age groups.
Emily said: “There are many different forms of strength training which make it accessible to all. You can start without any kit at all, using your own bodyweight and then begin to increase the weights you lift in the safe, supportive environment of a gym or leisure centre in your neighbourhood.
“Strength training isn’t just about how much you can lift, it can be hugely beneficial to prevent injury, reduce the risk of pain and illness, and even help us to build confidence and mental resilience.
“My journey has taken me to the Olympic podium, but my greatest challenge is to leave a legacy that makes strength training part of everyday life for people from all communities.
Strength training can really make every one of us feel incredible, and I’m committed to helping as many people as possible unlock their full potential.”
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, summed it up nicely: “Emily has been a champion for Team GB and now she is also a champion for the nation’s health, with such an important message about the value of strength exercises in our daily lives.
“Millions of people are using our nation’s gyms, pools and leisure facilities to get stronger every day but we want to ensure even more people – no matter what their age, background or ability – experience the benefits.”
The day’s events culminated at ukactive’s Active Uprising 2025 conference, themed ‘No Growth without Health: Physical Activity’s Role in National Renewal’.
The conference saw a call for greater investment in the sector, with speakers from across government, healthcare, fitness, and sport weighing in on how physical activity can drive both health and economic progress.
Paul Corrigan, strategic adviser to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, delivered a stark message on the future of the NHS. Paul Corrigan said: “If we carry on doing what we’re doing in the same way that we’re doing it, the health service will collapse – in fact, it is collapsing now.
“There are 18 million people with long-term conditions in this country. It’s true that keeping somebody from getting iller will transform the future of the fortunes of the health service.
“The NHS has been a bad partner and it cannot afford to continue to be a really bad partner – it needs relationships outside of itself in order to solve the problems of health.
“The answer to this is actually in every locality. How do you get someone who hasn’t thought about being active in their health to be active?
That’s not going to happen in Whitehall, it’s going to happen in hearts and minds and how we as the NHS work in localities with you, the physical activity sector.”
Marianne Boyle, Director of Membership Engagement at ukactive, chaired a health discussion on how the physical activity sector can help address poor health and economic growth, with panellists Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE, CEO, Youth Employment UK; Jordan Cummins, UK Competitiveness Director, CBI and Adam Memon, Director of Strategy, NHS England.
Other keynote sessions included Mark Shayler, Innovation and Environmental Advisor who discussed sustainability in business and how leaders can’t make money from a dead planet.
Claire Rollins, Portfolio Leader at Banyan Software took the stage to explain how to build high-performing teams for sustainable business growth.
And Iain Pringle, Loyalty Consultant and Managing Partner at New World Loyalty, shared his expertise on how rewards and incentives can shape our choices and transform behaviour.
Read more on Mike Farrar’s message to the nation by clicking here.
And if you missed Emily Campbell and Huw Edwards on Sky News Breakfast discussing the Make Britain Stronger campaign, the video is near the top of this article.
Campbell’s campaign stands as a refreshing call to action. It’s not merely about lifting weights; it’s about lifting our nation—one determined rep at a time.