London Marathon Foundation and London Marathon Events partner with the Youth Sport Trust to tackle inactivity crisis in young Londoners

We’ve awarded £314,000 to the Youth Sport Trust, the UK's leading children's charity ​for improving the education and development of every child through play and sport, through our Strategic Partnership Fund. The funding will support a pilot project in schools in underserved London communities, to increase children’s activity levels and improve their overall wellbeing. 

The new partnership comes at a critical time, with fewer than half of young Londoners meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity a day (Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Report, 2024). As a result, hundreds of thousands of children are missing out on the lifelong benefits of being active – including improved education, health and social wellbeing – while active children are happier, more resilient and more trusting of each other.

The 18-month pilot project will run across four London boroughs – Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, and Brent – using a trusted network of ‘Active Education Managers’ to build schools’ capacity and confidence in embedding physical activity into daily life. The pilot project will implement the Youth Sport Trust’s Well Schools framework and Healthy Movers programme and boost engagement with London Marathon Events-supported initiatives, including the TCS Mini London Marathon, junior parkrun, The Daily Mile and Jr. NBA 3v3 Basketball. The aim is to help children achieve 10 more minutes of daily movement – a manageable but powerful step to lift them out of the ‘less active’ bracket and lead healthier, more active lives. 

Nick Bitel, CEO of London Marathon Group, said: “We share a clear goal with the Youth Sport Trust: to get more children and young people active. This pilot is an exciting opportunity to turn that shared ambition into action, particularly in underserved London communities.

“With this funding, more schools will be able to embed the Youth Sport Trust’s programmes and participate in events like the TCS Mini London Marathon in schools. By creating regular opportunities to move – both in and out of school – more children will discover the joy, confidence and sense of achievement that comes from being active, supporting their wellbeing and helping to build healthy, active habits for life.”

Ali Oliver MBE, CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “In England, 2.2 million children and young people are achieving less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day: just half the amount they need to stay fit and well. That's why we are delighted to be partnering with the London Marathon Foundation and London Marathon Events on this pilot to help change this worrying statistic and give children more opportunities to be active. 

“We'll be working across schools in four London boroughs to embed our Well Schools framework that puts health and wellbeing at the very heart of school life. We'll also be working with Early Years teachers to introduce our Healthy Movers programme to develop the foundation of both physical and cognitive development. 

“By supporting children to be just 10 minutes more active each day during these crucial early years, we can positively influence their relationship with physical activity and set strong foundations for lifelong health and wellbeing. 

“Through this programme, we are also excited to begin working on the ground with organisations such as parkrun and The Daily Mile Foundation. Together, we hope to create even more opportunities for children to participate in and embrace the wider benefits of being active.”

We’re the parent charity of LME, organisers of world-leading mass participation sporting events such as the TCS London Marathon and the Vitality Westminster Mile.

One school already embracing the benefits of daily movement is St Mary’s Bryanston Square C E Primary School, in Westminster, where a group of 30 pupils, parents, and teachers took part in the 2025 Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 27 September.

Sasha Marius-Beeko, Head of School for St Mary’s Bryanston Square C E Primary School, said: “At St Mary’s Bryanston Square School, we know that a positive experience of physical education at a young age is essential to building the foundations for a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. In addition, activities like The Daily Mile, TCS Mini London Marathon and Vitality Westminster Mile are an opportunity for our children to flourish physically and mentally; to challenge themselves to improve and to enjoy the wonderful city that we live in.” 

This new partnership is part of our wider vision to inspire activity across the UK, especially for children and young people. Recent actions include funding junior parkrun’s new ‘parkrun primary’ initiative and becoming an Official Implementation Partner of The Daily Mile in England – both aimed at helping more children get active, and paving the way towards healthier, happier futures.