JANUARY is traditionally a bumper month for active resolutions and the Sport England national campaign This Girl Can in association with Active Devon will be encouraging women of all shapes and sizes to try out lots of different ways of getting active.

During a month of visits, workshops and other activities, Active Devon, the County Sports Partnership, whose emphasis is on grassroots informal community sport and informal activity, are keen to ensure that local classes and active sessions are really tailored to the needs of women who may be starting out on their active journey.

This Girl Can is a national campaign which celebrates real women up and down the country who are doing their thing to get active, no matter how well or badly they do it, and no matter how sweaty and red they get. 

Active Devon are working in conjunction with local leisure providers to urge women and girls to try out something active this January at their local leisure centres, clubs and activity hubs, all of which offer a wide range of women-focused classes. 

There will also be a number of volunteer This Girl Can ambassadors who are helping to encourage friends, family and other women they know to get active by putting blogs and videos of what they enjoy online through Active Devon’s social media channels. 

Clare Woods, a volunteer Devon This Girl Can ambassador who has lost nine stone through exercise, said: ‘Just do it. Do it for yourself and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.

‘Make that change because only you can do it. As bad as you may feel about yourself, you will feel better when you start exercising.’