Reconomics Plus has been produced as a toolkit to help enable members and the wider sector to demonstrate the substantial impact of outdoor recreation. It is hoped that the resource will give members the ammunition to inform conversations with key decisions makers at a national and local level.
The new resource brings together the latest research and statistics to highlight the contribution of outdoor recreation in England. Produced in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, Reconomics Plus also reviews evidence on how outdoor recreation can play a role in improving the nation’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Reconomics Plus follows on from Reconomics which was launched in 2014 and was the first report of its kind to set out the economic value of outdoor recreation. It is hoped that Reconomics Plus will build on the huge success of Reconomics, which has been used to inform responses to Government consultations and featured in Westminster Hall Debates.
Reconomics Plus demonstrates how the sport and recreation sector can provide meaningful and cost effective solutions to some of the nation’s biggest challenges. It is now the role of the Alliance, our members and the wider sport and recreation sector to make sure that outdoor recreation is embedded in cross-departmental Government strategies.
Emma Boggis, Chief Executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance said: “Our local parks, lakes, rivers and beaches are some of the nation’s best environments to get active. I regularly enjoy a Saturday morning run in my local park, a walk in the countryside or a lake swim – and from the fact that I am not alone I see the impact this all has on my community. Outdoor recreation can take place across urban and rural areas and many of our members deliver programmes to encourage people of all ages to get active in the local environment.
She added: ‘We have created Reconomics Plus to serve as an evidence bank to help us collectively raise the profile of outdoor recreation to national and local decision makers. It should be used to inform conversations on how outdoor recreation can be embedded across Government strategies, including those on physical activity, health, education and the environment.”
