Today, Mo Farah has taken to the start line to launch ‘Mo’s Million Mile Challenge’, encouraging the nation to join him and come together to complete a million miles with an aim to raise £100,000 for children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust, in partnership with Village Hotel Club.

Kickstarting the first mile of his 2020 training, the four-time Olympic champion and Village’s Community Fitness Ambassador is calling on local communities to ditch the excuses, shake off the post-Christmas slump and take a ‘mo’ to complete a mile for charity, between 9-19 January – in whichever way they can!

The NHS has long championed 150 minutes of exercise a week to reduce the risk of major illnesses by up to 50 per cent, and there’s no better time than January to get up and get moving. With research suggesting it takes a staggering 1.7 days of walking to burn off Christmas lunch alone, Village Gym will be opening the doors to its 30 clubs nationwide to encourage the public to set in motion their New Year fitness regimes and fundraise at the same time.

Funds raised from the Challenge will be donated to support the Youth Sport Trust’s vital work to change the lives of young people through sport, physical activity and play.

With special events hosted nationally at Village Gym’s 30 clubs, Mo is kicking off the 11-day challenge at Village Hotel London Watford to encourage thousands of locals from all corners of the UK to get involved for a good cause.

From the 9 to the 19, energetic participants can visit their local Village Gym to walk, run, cycle, swim or even Zumba a mile, or take part in one of many exciting fitness classes, including BURN, MOTION and Les Mills favourites such as BodyPump -  where all miles will be converted and added to the million-milometer. To encourage children to also take part, one-off children’s classes will even be hosted in the hotels’ shared spaces on selected days after school and on weekends such as Kids Olympics and Dodgeball.

Not only will visitors to Village Gym clubs be encouraged to donate to Youth Sport Trust for taking part in Mo’s Million Mile Challenge, Village Hotels across the country will also be supporting with staff across the group also taking part in the challenge.

Village Hotel Club’s Community Fitness Ambassador, Sir Mo Farah said:

Inspiring people to be active will always be important to me and I want the nation to use the new year as an excuse to get fit. I hope everyone gets behind Village’s Million Mile Challenge – just one mile can make a difference, and you will be doing something amazing for kids in your local area.

Village Hotel Club’s Chairman, Gary Davis, comments:

“With the help of Mo, one of the country’s most inspirational athletes, we’re calling on people to join us in hitting our million-mile target, with however many miles they can – whether that’s one or a hundred! We remain committed to nurturing and investing in our communities, encouraging and supporting them to lead a fitter and healthier lifestyle. We’re proud to be working with the Youth Sport Trust to help ensure all children get to experience the life-changing benefits that come from play and sport.’’

Alison Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, adds:

If we remove barriers to participation and make sport inclusive for all children and young people, we know that positive outcomes can be achieved. For example, recently published national data which complements our own, has found that more active children are happier, more resilient and have improved physical literacy.

In the last year, we have supported 630,000 children and young people to access the life-changing benefits of sport and play. But there is still more to be done. The support of Village Gym and Mo during the Million Mile Challenge is invaluable for us as a charity and will help us to support schools, clubs and families to remove the causes of negative experiences in getting young people active for years to come.

For more information on Mo’s Million Mile Challenge or to register to get involved, visit www.villagegym.co.uk/challenge